Rationale for a PSR

Operational nuclear power plants in many States are subject to routine and special safety reviews. These safety reviews are generally not comprehensive and do not always take account of improvements in safety standards and operating practices, the cumulative effects of plant ageing. 

PSRs are considered an effective way to obtain an overall view of actual plant safety, to determine reasonable and practical modifications that should be made in order to maintain a high level of safety and to improve the safety of older nuclear power plants to a level approaching that of modern plants. In this connection, it is useful to identify any lifetime limiting features of the plant in order to help evaluate whether a proposed modification is worthwhile. 

---