sou · H7B316 · 2019-04-01 00:00:00 — Utredningen föreslår att kärntekniklagens nuvarande krav på att den som har tillstånd att inneha eller driva en kärnkraftsreaktor (reaktor- innehavare) är skyldig att svara för den allsidiga forsknings- och utvecklingsverksamhet som behövs för att på ett säkert sätt hantera och slutförvara använt kärnbränsle och kärnavfall ändras. Ansvaret att fullgöra skyldigheterna bör justeras i linje med de föreslagna, förtydligade ansvarsdimensionerna, dvs. det ska vara ”verk- samhetsutövarens” ansvar att upprätta ett program för att bedriva eller låta bedriva den allsidig forsknings- och utvecklingsverksamhet som behövs för att fullgöra skyldigheterna för omhändertagande av använt kärnbränsle och kärnavfall. Vidare förslås att programmet endast ska omfatta de delar av det planerade systemet för omhändertagande av avfall som det inte har beviljats något tillstånd för. Avveckling av stängda anläggningar ska ingå i den utsträckning som det påverkar de existerande eller plane- rade slutförvaren. En periodiskt återkommande redovisning av pro- grammet ska som tidigare granskas och utvärderas och i samband med detta ska de villkor kunna ställas som behövs för den fortsatta forsknings- och utvecklingsverksamheten. Vissa bestämmelser i nuvarande kärntekniklag avseende pro- grammets omfattning, redovisning samt tidsaspekter föreslås flyttas till förordningsnivå. Avveckling och rivning av kärntekniska anläggningar Utredningen föreslår att miljöprövningsförordningen ändras så att en förnyad tillståndsprövning av miljöpåverkan från en kärnkrafts- reaktor som ska avvecklas bör gälla från och med den tidpunkt då nedmontering och rivning påbörjas. En sådan förnyad prövning bör fokusera på de miljöeffekter som den nya verksamheten med ned- montering och rivning av reaktorn innebär. Utredningen bedömer att en fullständig demontering och bort- av en kärnteknisk anläggnings olika delar inte alltid ska vara ett krav om lämplig användning av byggnader och mark kan moti- veras. De samhälleliga aspekterna beaktas genom att beslut om mål och omfattningen av nedmontering och rivning först sker efter samråd mellan inblandade parter. Utredningen föreslår att en anläggning som har friklassats med stöd av strålskyddslagen upphör att vara en kärnteknisk anläggning. Utredningen föreslår att den nya kärntekniklagen, liksom den nu- varande, ska innehålla sanktionsbestämmelser. Innehållet i den nu- varande lagens straffbestämmelser föreslås i vissa delar föras över till den nya lagen. Straffet för grovt brott mot kärntekniklagens bestäm- melser föreslås dock skärpas, från högst till högst sex års fängelse i linje med vad som gäller för grovt miljöbrott enligt miljö- balken. Till skillnad från den nuvarande lagen bör den nya lagen också innehålla ett bemyndigande för regeringen att föreskriva om att en särskild sanktionsavgift ska betalas av den som bryter mot vissa bestämmelser i lagen, i föreskrifter och villkor som har meddelats med stöd av lagen eller i Euratomförordningar på lagens område. Med stöd av bemyndigandet bör regeringen i förordning ange vilka överträdelser som ska kunna medföra en avgift, storleken på avgif- terna samt att avgiften ska tas ut av tillsynsmyndigheten (Strålsäker- hetsmyndigheten). Förslaget om sanktionsavgifter innebär att den nuvarande lagens straffbestämmelser för överträdelser av vissa Euratomförordningar tas bort. I bemyndigandet bör också anges i vilka situationer en sådan avgift vore oskälig. Systemet med sank- tionsavgifter är utformat efter förebild av miljösanktionsavgifter enligt 30 kap. . –with clarified responsibilities Pursuant to the Government’s authorisation of 29 2017, the Head of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy has appointed as Inquiry Chair to conduct a review of the national nuclear legislation. and were appointed secretaries of the Inquiry. The Government also appointed an expert committee attached to the inquiry with representatives from the Government offices, regu- latory authorities, the industry and non-governmental organisations. Under its terms of reference, the Inquiry Chair shall examine the need to amend the Act (1984:3) on Nuclear Activities and the Ordinance (1984:14) on Nuclear Activities and, if necessary, also propose amendments to the Radiation Protection Act (2018:396) and any necessary consequential amendments to the Environmental Code and the legislation relating to the financing of nuclear waste management. The Inquiry Chair shall inter alia: –examine the merits and advantages of coordinating the responsi- bilities under the Nuclear Activities Act with the provisions of the Environmental Code; –analyse the advantages and disadvantages of separating the respon- sibility for nuclear safety and radiation protection from the long- term responsibility of the decommissioning of closed nuclear facilities and the management and disposal of waste, –investigate necessary requirements for allowing a change of licence holder and the conditions for ownership assessment in the event of changes in the ownership of reactor companies, –review the definitions of nuclear waste and radioactive waste and how a more appropriate distinction between Swedish and foreign waste can be designed, and –propose regulation of ultimate responsibility after the final closure of a repository for nuclear waste. The inquiry has also identified additional issues considered to be within the inquiry’s terms of reference, such as formally establishing a procedure for the so-called stepwise licensing process of nuclear installations and the review of the provisions relating to research and development activities carried out by licence holders regarding disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. The overall ambition of the inquiry has been to clarify the pro- visions on responsibility for nuclear activities. Starting point of the inquiry A basic starting point for the inquiry is that the Swedish nuclear industry is in a management phase, given that six out of the original twelve commercial reactors are intended to be in operation after 2020 and that there are no current plans to construct new nuclear reactors. There is broad political agreement on the future energy policy with the objective that all production of electricity in should be renewable by 2040, with no closure of nuclear power plants through political decisions. Furthermore, the process regarding the disposal of the spent nuclear fuel has come to a crucial point, where the Government is expected to take a decision on the application by the nuclear industry for a licence to construct a repository for spent nuclear fuel in Forsmark, in the municipality of . This will be done partly by a decision on the permissibility of the repository in accordance with the Environmental Code and partly by a decision on a construction licence under the Nuclear Activities Act. Based on these prerequisites, the inquiry is of the view that it would be inappropriate to propose major changes regarding both the basic conditions under which the remaining reactors will operate, as well as in the regulation of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radio- waste. The inquiry notes that only a few new licensing processes of major nuclear facilities are expected in the foreseeable future, such as a repository for long-lived waste. However, the inquiry considers that a new nuclear act should nevertheless be designed so that it is still valid in a situation where there are several different licence applications for new nuclear facilities. However, the inquiry considers that certain adjustments and clarifications are necessary given that when the current legislation was prepared and adopted, 35 years ago, it was not possible to reasonably foresee future developments in detail. The Inquiry also notes that the Nuclear Activities Act has undergone a large number of amendments since its adoption, which has led to the legislation being somewhat unstructured and difficult to oversee. Proposals of the inquiry The inquiry proposes that the current Act on Nuclear Activities be repealed and replaced by a new act with a new structure. During the 35 years that the current Act on Nuclear Activities has been in force, it has been amended more than 30 times. Many new provisions have been added and others have been changed or removed, which has led to the legislation becoming unstructured and difficult to read. The new Radiation Protection Act came into force on 1, 2018 and replaced the previous Radiation Protection Act (1988:220). The Radiation Protection Act and the Act on Nuclear Activities are often applied in parallel to the same activities. The inquiry has there- fore elaborated a proposal for a Act, based upon the structure of the new Radiation Protection Act. substance of the present provisions is transferred to the new act, albeit with revised language. However, some provisions have been modified and others deleted. A few completely new provisions have also been added to the proposed legislation. A summary of the most important proposals from the inquiry is presented below. The responsibilities of licence holders and operators are clarified The inquiry proposes changes to the provisions of the current Nuclear Activities Act in relation to the responsibility for the safety of the nuclear activities and the responsibility for the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, including the decommissioning of closed nuclear facilities, and for the financing of costs for the latter. The current provisions put these responsi- bilities on the (original) licence holder. The inquiry however proposes, in line with the assignment given by the government, that a distinction is made between the operator’s long-term responsibility, including the financial responsibility for the management and disposal of the spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, and the license holder’s responsibility for the safety of nuclear facilities and activities, i.e. that such activities are carried out safely. The proposal of the inquiry thus introduces a clearer distinction between these two dimensions of responsibility. The responsibility for the safe operation of nuclear facilities, i.e. that a nuclear facility is designed, sited, constructed, commissioned, operated and decom- missioned in a safe way as well as responsibility for the safe manage- ment of nuclear material or radioactive waste rests with the license holder. The proposal clarifies that this responsibility may not be delegated. The responsibility for ensuring that the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste and the decommissioning of closed facilities are implemented will be put on the operator that out or has carried out the nuclear activities that have generated the waste (polluters pays principle). This includes the responsibility for financ- ing these activities. It should be noted that the responsible operator may be the same legal person as the licensee. The practical activities of conditioning and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is often delegated by a licence holder to a contractor who, in turn, is the licence holder for its own nuclear facility and thus responsible for the safety of its own nuclear activities. The proposed change entails an adjustment of the legislation to current practice and a better adaptation to European requirements (Euratom directives) which do not allow the delegation of the responsibility for safety which must rest with the licence holder. The proposed amendment will thus allow the waste generator to delegate the practical tasks relating to the management of the waste to a contractor without delegating the responsibility for safety. Further- more, these changes will facilitate the distinction between different responsibilities when transferring a nuclear license to someone else. A formal stepwise licensing process is introduced The inquiry proposes that a stepwise process for the licensing of nuclear operations or facilities be introduced in the proposed act. The stepwise licensing process has so far had its legal basis in the license conditions that have been stipulated by the licensing authority (the Government). The licence conditions usually state that the licensee may not start constructing, commence test operations of or commercially operate the nuclear facility or start decommissioning activities, until the regulatory authority has given its approval. The proposal of the inquiry is to introduce provisions stipulating that a licensee may not commence the next step of operations until the regulatory authority has assessed whether the license holder has fulfilled the requirements for proceeding to the next step and the regulatory authority has taken a formal decision allowing the licensee to do so. Prior to taking a decision, the regulatory authority shall also carry out a stakeholder consultation process that allows access to information and public participation in the decision-making processes. Subsidiary responsibility and ultimate responsibility of the state The inquiry proposes that the state’s subsidiary responsibility for nuclear activities, which follows from international commitments and which has been confirmed by the Swedish parliament and government, should be laid down in the act. This is intended to ensure that nuclear operations and the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and dismantling of nuclear facilities take place in a safe even when – for some reason – there is no licence holder or other person that can be held responsible under the act. In other words, in case there is no one who can be held responsible for fulfilling the obligations, it will be the responsibility of the state. The inquiry further proposes that provisions be introduced that clarify that the long-term responsibility for a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste, after it has been sealed, shall rest with the state (ultimate responsibility of the state). According to the proposed act, the responsibility of a waste generator extends until all its obligations are fulfilled, i.e. when all its nuclear installations have been decommissioned and all radio- waste has been placed in a repository which subsequently has been closed. The proposed starting point of the ultimate responsibil- ity of the state is when a geological repository is finally closed. This occurs when the conditions stipulated in an operator’s licence have been reported to and assessed by the government and it has con- firmed that the conditions have been fulfilled. measures needed to be taken after that time will be the responsibility of the state, and the practical implementation of these may be delegated to an authority or authorities that the government has appointed. Furthermore, an amendment to the Environmental Code is proposed which clarifies that the state is responsible for remedying any serious environmental damage and pollution that may arise in a finally closed repository for which the state is responsible in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Permanently closed nuclear power reactor The inquiry proposes that an obligation is introduced for the licence holder to notify the authorities when a nuclear power reactor is intended to be permanently shut down. A formal notification should also be made when all nuclear fuel (nuclear material under safe- guards) has been removed from the permanently shut down power reactor. The inquiry also proposes that the so-called the “five-year rule” is abolished, which stipulates that a reactor is permanently shut down if it has not produced electricity for five years. When a license holder decides that electricity production at a nuclear power reactor is to cease and subsequently will not resume, the license holder shall formally notify this to the government or the authority the government decides. A notification shall contain the date from which the reactor is permanently closed. It should also be formally notified when all nuclear fuel and other nuclear material under nuclear safeguards has been removed from the permanently closed reactor. The proposed notification obligations aim to clarify when a nuclear power reactor is permanently shut down and therefore may no longer be restarted, and when nuclear fuel and other nuclear material under nuclear safeguards has been removed from the plant. Such procedures increase clarity and remove uncertainties for the supervisory authority regarding regulatory issues relating to safety, security, emergency preparedness, finances, etc. The inquiry believes that these notification provisions are best placed in the act. Removing the “five-year rule” enables a reactor to be discon- nected from the grid for upgrades and rebuild for a longer period than five years. If, for some reason, it is not desirable to abolish the five-year rule, the inquiry proposes that a provision that allows exemption from the five-year rule is introduced in the act. The inquiry proposes that the concept of nuclear waste is harmo- nised with radioactive waste as defined in the Radiation Protection Act by defining nuclear waste as radioactive waste that arises from a nuclear activity under a license obligation. Nuclear waste thus becomes a subset of what is defined as radioactive waste. Furthermore, the inquiry also considers that, as stipulated in the current legislation, spent nuclear fuel should only be regarded as waste when it is placed in a repository. The Inquiry proposes that the provisions regarding special permits for the disposal of foreign nuclear waste in or for the final disposal of Swedish nuclear waste abroad should be changed. In general, so-called “special reasons” for such permits should be required, and not “exceptional reasons” as is the case today. How- ever, this does not entail any practical change in the basis for the assessment or the grounds for granting such permits since what has been termed “exceptional reasons” rather constitutes “special reasons”. Responsibility for research and development relating to radioactive waste management The inquiry proposes amendments to the current requirement of the Nuclear Activities Act that a licence holder of a nuclear power reactor is responsible for setting up a comprehensive research and development program as needed for the safe management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, including build- ing necessary waste management facilities and repositories. The inquiry suggests that the responsibility for fulfilling the obligations pertaining to research and development should be adjusted in line with the proposed division of the current licence holder’s responsibilities in two dimensions as described above. It should be a responsibility of the operator to establish a program for conducting the necessary research and development activities. However, the research and development activities needed for an already licensed interim storage for waste or repository is a respon- sibility of that licence holder. Furthermore, the inquiry proposes that the program should only cover those parts of the planned system for the waste disposal for which a licence has not been granted. This means that the obligations only cover the parts of the waste system for which there is not yet a realized solution. Dismantling of closed nuclear facilities should be covered only to the extent that it affects existing or planned repositories. Decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear facilities The inquiry proposes that the Environmental Assessment Regula- tion (2013:251) be amended, so that a renewed licensing process, including an environmental impact assessment, of the decommis- sioning of a nuclear power reactor should apply from the time when dismantling and demolition activities commences. The assessment should focus on the environmental effects that the new activities, i.e. dismantling and demolition, entail. Activities performed under the existing licence, e.g. management of operational wastes and spent nuclear fuel, do not need to be subject to new review and approval. The inquiry believes that a complete dismantling and removal of the various parts of a nuclear facility should not always be compul- sory if an alternative use of and land can be justified. Different societal aspects are considered and decisions on the extent of dismantling and demolition are taken after a stakeholder consulta- tion between the parties involved. The inquiry proposes that a facility that has been released in accordance with the requirements of the Radiation Protection Act ceases to be a nuclear facility. The inquiry proposes that the new Act, as the present one, should contain provisions on penalties. The content of the penal provisions of the current Act is proposed to be transferred in to the new act. The sentence for serious violations of the provisions of the Act is proposed to be raised from a maximum of four years to a maximum of six years in prison, in line with what applies to gross environmental offenses according to the Environmental Code. The inquiry furthermore proposes that the proposed Act should introduce special administrative sanction fees for breaches of certain detailed provisions adopted by the regulatory authority as well as breaches of certain Euratom regulations within the nuclear field. The system of sanction fees is based on environmental sanction fees according to the Environmental Code. Such fees are to be applied in cases where a breach is easy to verify, typically relating to reporting obligations and similar cases. Härigenom föreskrivs följande. Lagens syfte, innehåll och tillämpningsområde 1 § Syftet med denna lag är att säkerställa att kärnteknisk verksam- het bedrivs på ett sådant sätt att människors hälsa och miljön skyddas mot skadlig verkan av joniserande strålning och att inter- nationella förpliktelser uppfylls genom att 1.verksamheten bedrivs på ett säkert sätt och i enlighet med inter- nationella överenskommelser, och 2.kärntekniska anläggningar som inte längre ska drivas blir avveck- lade och använt kärnbränsle och kärnavfall blir omhändertaget. 2 § Lagen är indelad i följande kapitel: Lagens syfte, innehåll och tillämpningsområde, Grundläggande bestämmelser om säkerhet, –3 kap. Ansvar för avveckling och omhändertagande av avfall, –4 kap. Statens ansvar, Förbud mot att ta en permanent avstängd kärnkrafts- reaktor i drift, Bestämmelser om skadeståndsansvar, –11 kap. Straffbestämmelser och sanktionsavgifter, och Överklagande och avgifter. Ytterligare bestämmelser i annan lagstiftning 3 § Ytterligare bestämmelser om verksamheter och åtgärder som avses i denna lag finns i , lagen (2006:647) om finansiering av kärntekniska restprodukter, strålskyddslagen (2018:396), lagen (2003:778) om skydd mot olyckor, lagen (2006:263) om transport av farligt gods och säkerhetsskyddslagen (2018:585). 4 § Regeringen eller den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer får meddela föreskrifter om undantag från denna lag i fråga om kärn- ämne eller kärnavfall i den utsträckning det kan ske utan att syftet med lagen åsidosätts. 5 § Med kärnteknisk anläggning avses i denna lag 2.forskningsreaktor eller annan kärnreaktor, a)utvinning, bearbetning, anrikning, framställning eller hantering av kärnämne, b)hantering eller bearbetning av kärnavfall, och 4.anläggning för förvaring av kärnämne eller kärnavfall där materialet a) avses återtas (mellanlager), eller b) inte avses återtas (slutförvar). 6 § Med kärnteknisk verksamhet avses i denna lag 1.uppförande, innehav, drift eller avveckling av kärnteknisk anlägg- 2.förvärv, innehav, överlåtelse, hantering, bearbetning, transport av eller annan befattning med kärnämne eller kärnavfall, 3.införsel av kärnämne eller kärnavfall till , eller 4.utförsel av kärnavfall från .