Historically, nuclear cyber and physical security have been subject to significantly different regulatory considerations for the existing fleet of reactors. Nuclear physical security has a strong emphasis on deploying proven physical security solutions and demonstrating the ability to defend against a specified Design Basis Threat (DBT). Alternatively, the current approach for commercial nuclear cyber security for the existing fleet relies heavily on the assumed isolation of critical digital assets and implementing NIST-based security measures when possible.
Sandia is leading the nuclear power industry efforts for Cybersecurity by Design, with a tiered cybersecurity approach that works within the nuclear facility design lifecycle to deliver defense-in-depth while also ensuring nuclear safety. However, Cybersecurity by Design processes are also applicable to physical security. As existing nuclear facilities are upgraded and new facilities are built, the continued integration of cyber and physical security is demanding the concept of ‘One Security.’ One Security fully integrates cyber and physical security and can be combined with safety and safeguards for a full integration of 3S (safety-security-safeguards).
Advanced Reactors Security Training
The next generation of nuclear reactors are likely to be smaller, modular, and may incorporate different types of fuels and coolants. There has been a surge of interest in these new designs driven by private and venture capital. In consideration of the future fleet of nuclear power reactors, there are important new ONE Security considerations:
- plans for wide adoption of digital technology,
- ubiquitous, aggressive, and evolving cyber attacks
- innovative technologies such as wireless communications, autonomous operations and remote monitoring,
- strong desire to balance physical and cyber security investment with performance-based and risk-informed approaches, and
- leveraging opportunities to couple security analysis into every level of the design lifecycle.
Learn more about Sandia’s Nuclear Security Technology Complex including advanced reactor security training, demonstrations, testing, and evaluations.
3S-by-Design
Globally, advanced nuclear reactors are expected to play a key role in meeting domestic energy and climate objectives. With many advanced reactors in the early design phase, the integration of security, safety, and safeguards (collectively, 3S), provides an opportunity to achieve risk reduction while using less resources by leveraging interdependencies and synergies between each 3S domain. Additionally, domestic policy considerations encourage the convergence of each 3S domain through facility design and operations. Yet, despite potential economic benefits, limited activity by nuclear industry designers has been observed towards development of appropriate methodologies and tools that consider 3S interdependencies. It can be hypothesized that industry’s hesitancy towards development of an integrated 3S-by-design approach may be from a desire to avoid investing strategies, methodologies, or tools that do not meet current regulations.
The integration of 3S offers an opportunity to achieve acceptable risk while using less resources. Therefore, there is a need to better understand these interdependencies and integration points between the 3S domains for advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuel cycle facilities’ lifecycles. This includes design, construction, and operational phases and using a common, accepted integrated 3S approach.
Applying the integrated 3S concepts may ultimately create predictable evaluations, which are on a repeatable process where each 3S category of interaction aligns to a system engineering design goal.
Ultimately, a systematic, common 3S approach presents an opportunity to develop operational performance indicators for review and approval within the design and construction phases which will further optimize inspection processes.
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Contact
Lon Dawson, ladawso@sandia.gov, Manager for Energy Security