A team of international nuclear safety experts today completed a two-week International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review of the regulatory system for nuclear safety in Romania.
The team highlighted the Romanian system´s most effective features and suggested areas of improvement for the country´s nuclear regulatory authority, the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN). The IAEA has conveyed the team´s main conclusions to CNCAN, and a final report will be submitted to the authority in about two months.
To prepare the mission, requested by Romania, the IAEA assembled a team of 15 international experts to conduct an Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission. This mission was a peer review based on the IAEA Safety Standards. It was not an inspection, nor an audit, and it followed earlier safety reviews Romania has requested over the past several years. Norway supported the mission with a grant from the Norwegian Cooperation Programme for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Romania.
The experts came from 12 countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Team leader Greg Rzentkowski of Canada said, "the Romanian government is committed to its international obligations, but national arrangements for safety should be enhanced by addressing some urgent issues. I was impressed to see the great commitment of the CNCAN staff to continuously improve nuclear safety."
The mission´s scope covered the Romanian nuclear regulatory framework for all types of facilities. The mission was conducted from 17 to 28 January, mainly at CNCAN headquarters in Bucharest. To review and assess Romanian regulatory activities, the team held discussions with staff from CNCAN and other organizations. In addition, the team visited Romania´s nuclear power plant at Cernavoda, as well as other nuclear and radiological facilities.
The IAEA team coordinator David Graves said, "I´ve been pleased by Romania´s openness and transparency. The country has a strong history of inviting IAEA safety review missions, setting a good example for the international community."
The IRRS team highlighted several features of the Romanian regulatory system, including:
- Romania has a legal infrastructure to fulfil its commitments to all relevant international nuclear safety conventions and obligations;
- CNCAN is independent and has the legal authority to effectively implement its regulatory obligations;
- Romania´s regulatory framework is comprehensive and covers the necessary facilities and activities;
- The CNCAN staff is highly competent and dedicated;
- Safety and security oversight efforts are properly coordinated and integrated; and
- CNCAN conducts its activities with stakeholders in an open and transparent manner.
The IRRS team also urged Romania to improve its regulatory system in key areas by:
- Fully developing and implementing national policies and strategies for the nuclear sector;
- Providing sufficient financial and human resources for CNCAN, and more flexibility to manage its own organizational structure, so it can meet all its nuclear safety responsibilities;
- Completing the review and revision of safety regulations; and
- Further developing and implementing CNCAN´s management system.
IAEA Director of the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety Pil-Soo Hahn said, "IRRS missions such as this one have strengthened regulatory efforts around the globe. Romania´s example strengthens this message about responsibly addressing nuclear safety and security."
Quick Facts
Number of operating Romanian nuclear power reactors: 2 CANDU 6-type reactors at Cernavoda.
Number of Romanian nuclear research reactors: 1 operating at Pitesti, 1 under decommissioning at Bucharest-Magurele.
General information about the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) and previous missions can be found on the IAEA website.