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Although nuclear security measures and culture are often seen as a cost for licensees, the effective provision of both gives business value and enables successful operations. Perhaps the most tangible benefit of fostering an effective security culture is through cost minimisation. Such costs may be punitive if for example they are imposed by a regulator or court following a security incident. Alternatively, they could reduce operational costs, for example by minimising lost working days that occur from a security incident or settling lawsuits where staff are injured.
The financial costs of disruption – whether it be from a safety or security incident – can be very high. For example, in February 2017 a fire in the turbine hall at the Flamanville nuclear power plant in France forced a shutdown, costing between an estimated US$1.2-2.2m per day. Sabotage at the Doel-4 nuclear power plant in Belgium 2014 saw lubricant oil drained from a turbine. Repair costs totalled US€30m, while lost productivity cost around US€40m per month, totalling approximately US€160m during the four months of inactivity.
In additional to acute financial costs, safety or security incidents may result in management change and can have lasting reputational costs. Having an effective nuclear security culture helps to minimise the cost when operations go wrong.
Indicators of effective security culture such as organisations having ‘clearly defined and documented roles and responsibilities for all nuclear security positions’ or that organisations use ‘benchmarks and targets in order to understand, achieve and improve performance at all levels’ complement good organisational practice. The business value of good organisational practice has been long recognised.
Specifically for nuclear security culture, good communication between staff in technical roles, and with staff in security roles, can lead to enhanced identification of potential security flaws, the effective use of an organisation’s security budget, and a sense of staff engagement.
In a competitive commercial environment, a good working culture ultimately helps to lower costs, makes processes more efficient and retains expertise. These factors can give licensees a commercial edge and facilitate business.
Further Reading:
Power Engineering International, ‘Offline reactor costing EDF $1.2m per day’, 22 February 2017
