Abstract: The identification of initial events is the basis of accident analysis. Currently, in the accident analysis of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, the general method for initial event identification still has not been established. Taking solvent regeneration system of decontamination cycle in the reprocessing plant as the research example, the engineering reliability evaluation method of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) was applied to the identification and screening of initial events. The analysis results show that the types of initial events mainly consist of the leakage from the breakage of the boundary of radioactive material confinements (including equipment, pipes and valves), the failure of interface measuring instruments of acid or alkaline washing mixed-settler, the failure of liquid level measuring instruments of each storage tank or washing mixed-settler, as well as the shaft sealing leakage of the organic phase export metering pump for contaminated solvent reception tank. With the comparison of the reprocessing plant safety analysis reports of the United States and the actual accident examples of foreign reprocessing plants, the analysis results of FMEA method show good coverage and practicability to the accidents caused by equipment failure. Therefore, the FMEA method can be used as a reference method for initial events selection, and can be popularized to other process systems of reprocessing plants.