Broadening industrial applications of BEPU: Achievements, challenges and prospects outcomes from a BEPU-2024 panel

Since the late 1980s, the Best Estimate Plus Uncertainty (BEPU) methodology has been a cornerstone for deterministic safety analysis of design basis accidents in nuclear power plants. Despite endorsements from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and various national regulatory bodies, its industrial application remains limited. At the BEPU-2024 conference in Lucca, Italy, a panel of global experts convened to discuss strategies for expanding BEPU's industrial use, aiming at: • Enhancing understanding of uncertainty analysis and Input Uncertainty Quantification (IUQ). • Addressing challenges and exploring future advancements in BEPU methodology. • Sharing insights and experiences in BEPU application. • Fostering dialogue on extending BEPU to broader industrial applications. This paper summarizes the main contents of the presentations at BEPU-2024 and outcomes of the panel discussions and recent literature review, including contribution of OECD/NEA project outcomes to BEPU methods, industrial advantages and limitations, regulatory challenges, pathways to broaden BEPU industrial applications, prospects, open issues and priorities of research for BEPU development and applications.