A Suggestion on Cybersecurity Regulatory Approach for Nuclear Power Plant Digital Twins

Digital twin technology is being used in various fields, from design, construction, operation, and renovation of ships and industrial plants. It can be said that the benefits of utilizing digital twin technology are greater even in areas that hand-on jobs cannot access. While I&C devices only provide information on the local points where measurements are made, digital twins can be used to obtain every possible information on the physical status of the system being operated. In addition, abnormal state behavior that may occur as the system ages can be predicted and prevented. Autonomous operation using AI is also possible. Recently, as the development of SMRs has been promoted worldwide, digital technology is being widely adopted, which were previously considered off-limits due to cybersecurity issues in nuclear power plants. Research is also being conducted to apply digital twin technology to nuclear power plants, but regulatory principles and standards have not yet been established which developers should observe. Since the expansion of digital technology can also increase opportunities for cyberattacks on nuclear power plants, it is necessary to establish the direction of cybersecurity regulations for nuclear power plants where digital twins are adopted in advance. In this paper, we propose regulatory targets and requirements that should be applied to nuclear power plant digital twins from a cybersecurity perspective.