IAEA Successfully Completed Two Missions In Europe
This month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) successfully concluded two missions to the Netherlands and Bulgaria.
Both delegations, made by international, independent experts and IAEA staff, provided advice and reviews on different aspects linked to nuclear and radiation safety in the two European countries.
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team concluded an 11-day mission to the Netherlands from 5 to 16 June.
The mission was conducted at the request of the Government of the Netherlands and hosted by the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS). It was part of the second IRRS cycle to the Netherlands, following the first IRRS mission in the country in 2014, with a follow-up review in 2018.
The IAEA mission said the Government of the Netherlands and the national regulatory bodies have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement in nuclear and radiation safety. The team advised the country to ensure adequate regulations and sufficient resources to regulate future facilities and activities.
The IRRS team identified two good practices:
- Development of a regulatory guide on the use of level 3 Probabilistic Safety Assessment for research reactors and its implementation in the licensing process of the PALLAS Research Reactors.
- Development of the information system Calamiteiten Net (CalNET) that forms a robust basis for the coordination of national and cross-border protective actions during the early phase of a possible nuclear accident.
The IRRS team made also several recommendations and suggestions to further improve the regulatory system and the effectiveness of the regulatory functions in line with IAEA safety standards in the Netherlands.
Read the full IAEA Press Release.
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts recently completed a review of long-term operational safety at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bulgaria.
The SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review mission was requested by the country’s government. The mission reviewed the Kozloduy NPP’s response to recommendations and suggestions made during an IAEA SALTO mission in 2021.
A SALTO peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long-term operation of nuclear power plants and complementing OSART missions, which are designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety.
The SALTO team, made of three experts from the Netherlands, Armenia and Slovakia, focused on aspects essential to the safe Long Term Operation (LTO) of Unit-5 and -6 at Kozloduy.
The team said the plant had:
- Finished the ageing management review for mechanical components and cables.
- Completed the requalification programme for safety-related electrical and cables components.
- Analysed the situation related to human resources for the intended period of LTO and extended the human resources policy and strategy accordingly.
Read the full IAEA Press Release.