Countering Security Risks to Nuclear Power Plants

Between 1972 and 2007 altogether 17 major terror attacks or acts of sabotage have been carried against nuclear power plants (NPP). None of them resulted in an uncontrolled radioactive release. In order to reduce the security risk to NPP due to terrorists in the future, preemptive measures are necessary to identify their motivation, incentives, operational and logistical capabilities to implement a successful attack. Physical security has always been a priority for NPP operators, but since 9/11 the global nuclear community has made additional major cooperative efforts to develop a spectrum of measures aimed at countering future security threats to NPP. An Integrated Modular Security System (IMSS) with modular security layers is proposed for new NPP.