Practical Application of the International Safety Regime in NW Russia : Experience from the Norwegian Plan of Action

The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) and the Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) of the Russian Federation have had a long-term collaboration programme which forms part of the Norwegian government’s Plan of Action to improve radiation and nuclear safety in Northwest Russia. A key part of the programme seeks to support an efficient and effective regulatory supervision process over the management of the nuclear legacy, taking account of the Russian regulatory framework but also taking advantage of recommendations and guidance from international bodies and other national experience. This paper presents the substantial advances made within that programme, describing progress within specific projects concerned with the regulatory supervision of nuclear legacy management in Northwest Russia. These include remediation and related spent fuel and radioactive waste management activities at previous military facilities, notably, the Shore Technical Bases (now designated as Sites of Temporary Storage) at Andreeva Bay and Gremikha. New regulatory guidance documents have been developed, involving major technical inputs from the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre, as well as review and advice on relevant good practice in other countries provided by other technical support organisations. Regulatory guidance has also been developed concerning the decommissioning and disposal of Radio-Thermal Generators, which falls within the responsibility of the Russian Federal Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Inspectorate. Recently completed projects involved: development of new regulatory guidance on Very Low-Level Waste management, specifically for the licensing and operation of new disposal facilities; optimisation of operational radiation protection during remediation, particularly in areas of high ambient radiation dose rate as are found in some parts of the Sites of Temporary Storage; determination of factors which can be used to identify when to apply emergency procedures before the full emergency is obvious; and development of the radio-ecological basis for identifying radiation supervision area boundaries. New projects commencing this year support the continuing long-term objective of creating an enhanced and integrated culture of safety, and environmental and human health protection. The projects are designed to take account of the needs of and progress in definition and implementation of operational activities at the sites. Thus, the work programme is focussed on very real issues of regulatory supervision and the transparent and traceable demonstration of regulatory compliance. This includes cooperative projects with FMBA as well as with Rostechnadzor, and the Department for the State Supervision of Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the RF Ministry of Defence (DSSNRS). There is great value arising from wider involvement in the programme of other organisations such as the IAEA and NATO, as well as the technical support derived from other national agencies and technical organisations with relevant legacy management experience. This has been the first opportunity for such international regulatory interaction at the operational level. Suggestions are made for how to continue to develop and take value from cooperative programmes to enhance the evolving international safety regime. Continuing success will be dependent on an effective and strong dialogue, to improve mutual understanding of perspectives on risk. These perspectives include major technical factors, but also institutional and social frameworks.