B3.01/99 - Transfer of western European regulatory methodology and practices to the nuclear safety authorities of Belarus - second year programme

Project BE/RA/02 is a follow-up of project BE/RA/01 with almost the same objectives. The assistance in the field of emergency preparedness including planning and training was included as new objective. This project has 6 technical tasks.

The Project Partner is the Ministry for Emergency Situations (MES) of the Republic of Belarus, and specifically the Department for the Supervision of Industrial and Nuclear Safety - Promatomnadzor. Promatomnadzor was the leading organisation in all the Tasks, except Task 5, which was managed by the Republican Centre of Radiation Control and Monitoring (RCRCM).

Task 1: Assistance in the field of legislation and regulations.

The draft ‘Law on the Use of Atomic Energy and Radiation Protection’ was updated based on advice and information from EU experts. Liability and insurance issues were of special interest. Another aspect was the revision of the national regulations to comply with the “Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.”

Task 2: Review of the system of notification, registration, licensing and inspection in the field of radiation protection including organisational and administrative aspects

Promatomnadzor was introduced to EU practices and used advice on organisational and administrative aspects to improve the Belarusian system of notification, registration, licensing and inspection in the field of radiation protection.

Task 3: Assistance in the field of radioactive waste management including education and training

The advice and experience of EU experts was used to draft a proposal on the retrieval of radioactive waste and to recondition and store it at the waste disposal facility "Ekores". The advice included a funding mechanism, a national register and the siting of a new national waste storage and disposal facility.

Task 4: Assistance in the field of emergency preparedness including planning and training

Specialists of the MES were introduced to the experience of the EU countries in planning radiological emergency preparedness and response arrangements.

Task 5: Assistance in the field of implementation of methods for measurements of trans uranium elements in soil

This task is part of the Belarusian effort to complete the map of radioactive deposition after Chernobyl. Caesium and Strontium mapping had been completed, so this task concentrated on transferring technologies to enable the measurement of actinides and iodine (I-129).

Task 6: Assistance in the field of nuclear material transport with the emphasis to illicit trafficking

Knowledge transfer helped Belarus to be more in line with international guidance and regulation concerning the transport of nuclear material including EU inspection practices concerning illicit trafficking of nuclear material.