This workshop is supported by the the NATO sicence for Peace and Security programme

Challenges in Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Regulation of the Nuclear Legacy

The objective of the workshop is to share competence and experience from East-West nuclear regulatory support projects associated with radiation protection and nuclear safety supervision of objects and/or installations built during the cold war, particularly in relation to regulatory strategies for safe decommissioning of unique or unusual nuclear facilities and long term plans for remediation of nuclear sites.

The workshop will be arranged at Ershovo about 50 km west of Moscow.

Background

Norway’s Regulatory Support Project in Russia primarily involves the Federal Medical–Biological Agency (FMBA). FMBA regulates human health protection (of workers and the public) in nuclear activities, and environmental impacts of such activities where these are of relevance to human radiation doses. In particular, FMBA has responsibilities for regulating activities at the Sites of Temporary Storage at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha. Another regulatory body, Rostechnadzor (RTN) has responsibilities in the areas of nuclear safety and safety assessment of non-defence activities and Environmental Impact Assessment, and nuclear safety and safety assessment of defence-related issues are regulated by Ministry of Defence and Federal Atomic Energy Agency. Many of the tasks covered by the regulatory bodies overlap and therefore dialogue between these bodies is very important.

The accumulation of nuclear material and radioactive waste in Northwest Russia poses a potential threat to humans and the environment. Historically produced wastes and contamination that are not properly contained may gradually migrate into the off-site environment, and facilities in poor condition could suffer accidents. Furthermore measures have to be taken in order to allow for the safe use of the sites in the future, including the period after their use as STSs. In addition, it is has to be taken into account that measures to improve the management of the nuclear material and radioactive waste, though beneficial in the long term, may temporarily increase the risk of accidents and may also result in increases in planned releases of radioactivity to the environment.

This accumulation also represents a potential security threat. Highly radioactive or fissile materials could go astray, either incidentally (e.g. theft of source containers for their value as scrap metal) or as a result of deliberate action with malevolent intent (i.e. for use in terrorism). Much work is still required before Russian authorities have a complete inventory of their radioactive and fissile materials and, despite long-term international commitments; some Russian nuclear installations remain poorly physically protected.

Norway has been involved in nuclear safety projects in Northwest Russia since 1995 through the Norwegian Plan of Action. Within the Plan of Action, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) has established good cooperation with different Russian regulatory authorities through a Regulatory Support Project. The major goal of the Project is to support Russian regulatory bodies when developing guidelines and requirements for planning, licensing and implementation of the industry projects. Another goal is that related industrial projects in Northwest Russia are managed in such a way as to efficiently secure an acceptable level of protection of human health and the environment, consistent with Russian Federation Law and with best international guidance and practice, as applicable within the Russian Federation.

Results to date in the Regulatory Support Project

Within the Regulatory Support Project, three collaborative NRPA–FMBA projects are being carried out in relation to the STBs at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha. The beneficiary for these projects is FMBA, but the work is being carried out mainly by FMBA’s technical support organisation (TSO), the Institute of Biophysics (IBPh), along with western experts. These three projects are addressing regulatory aspects of, respectively: Radiation protection of workers on the sites; Radiation protection of the public; and, emergency response and preparedness.

With the assistance of NATO collaborative link grants, staff of FMBA and IBPh have made working visits to their counterparts in the UK and USA. This has allowed them to exchange experiences in developing and implementing regulatory processes for a variety of situations, with particular emphasis on issues of the type faced at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha.

A major topic identified in the course of these working visits was the responsibilities of operators and regulators for developing safe decommissioning strategies, including the relative merits of detailed prescriptive regulations compared to regulatory flexibility to respond to operators’ proposals, particularly in the context of facilities where unique issues may arise and so novel approaches may be needed.

The objectives of the workshop are therefore:

Expected results from the proposed Advanced Research Workshop

Participation in and the scope of the working visits was necessarily limited, in terms of the number of NATO countries visited, the number of Russian staff involved and the time available for discussion with counterparts in the NATO countries. The purposes of the proposed Workshop would be:

The discussions will form an input towards shaping strategies for future regulatory support.