- Status
- Closed
Details
- Type of activity
Technical Support Organisations
- Nature
Services
- Contracting authority
European Commission
- Method of Procurement
Direct Agreement & AV DA
- Duration
20/08/2003 - 20/02/2005
- Partner
Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA)
- Contractor
ASSOCIATION VINCOTTE NUCLEAIRE ASBL
- Project / Budget year
WW9920 Tacis 1999 Nuclear Safety / 1999
Objectives
This project represents the second phase of the transfer of Western European regulatory methodology and practices to the Nuclear Safety Authority of Armenia. Its wider objective consists to continue to support and strengthen the national nuclear safety regulatory system in Armenia.
These objectives concern both nuclear safety and use of ionizing radiation.
The specific objectives are:
- Task 1: Project management
- Task 2: Organisation of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority ANRA
ANRA established a new organisation inspired by the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
In the frame of this task, ANRA will receive suggestions and recommendations about the recent organisational changes, in the light of the Slovak experience.
- Task 3: Pyramid of Regulatory documents
The nuclear law was voted by the Armenian Parliament on 01/02/1999 and ANRA set up a preliminary list of planned legislative and normative documentation in three levels.
In the frame of this task, ANRA will receive technical assistance for the organisation of the legal and normative documents concerning nuclear and radiation-hazardous facilities and for the interaction between ANRA and the licensees.
- Task 4: Improvement of NPP inspection practices and procedures
ANRA will receive support in methodological aspects of inspection, through the review of the inspections types, the yearly inspection plan and the procedural inspection support.
To do so, the contractor will prepare an inspection with ANRA, participate in an ANRA inspection, assist ANRA in establishing the inspection report and review the inspection report.
- Task 5: Training programme of ANRA
The training programme and the training materials of ANRA will be reviewed.
- Task 6: Quality
ANRA will be advised on the approach to implement a Quality programme, on the base of western nuclear regulator experience.
- Task 7: Improvement of radioactive sources inspection practices
By law, ANRA received the new task to inspect and regulate the use of radioactive sources. In the frame of this task, ANRA will be advised about its regulatory practices related to the industrial use of radioactive sources.
Results
Task 2: The task was focused on emergency planning and preparedness. Help was given for the preparation of an emergency exercise and support was given during a workshop about the legal framework, the notification and classification scheme of emergency situations, the assessment methods, the plans and procedures, the duty system, the training and the exercises.
Task 3: The respective Armenian and Western rulemaking procedures were discussed and some draft Armenian documents were commented by the Western experts, namely the Radiation Protection Act and subsequent regulations.
Task 4: Good practices were noted and suggestions were made during a workshop for both preparation and inspection phases. However, due to staff shortage, ANRA couldn’t complete the actions agreed during this workshop.
Task 5: Western experts gave advice and recommendations to ANRA about the training programme during a workshop. The Western experts appreciated the Human Resources management process under development as well as the requirements for the internal knowledge transfer after international meetings. The Western experts recommended ANRA to request only basic knowledge in the nuclear field for new staff members and to train them itself, as there is no appropriate education in the market. The use of indicators was also recommended for the training activities.
Task 6: During two workshops, ANRA was given advice and recommendations about its Quality Management System. For instance, ANRA should pay attention to its human resources and its ability to formulate regulatory requirements in the frame of the new State administrative structure, and ANRA should take into consideration the approach of Integrated Management Systems.
ANRA performed successfully an ISO 9001:2000 certification audit in November 2004.
Task 7: The ANRA internal documents were reviewed and comments were made. The Western experts proposed priorities for the inspection activities on the basis of a classification of inspected practices in three groups with decreasing risk and priority level. Three joint inspections were carried out with Western experts.
During the project, the Western experts made a common statement about the understafing of ANRA which jeopardizes the achievement of the regulator’s responsibilities.
Some of those tasks are continued in the project AR/RA/03.