U3.01 /98 (UK/RA/04)

The main objective of this project was to consolidate the achievements of the preceding projects (UK/RA/01,02,03) and to develop the assistance to SNRCU in the following fields:

1. establishing the regulatory methodology,
2. completing the set of rules and regulations
3. reviewing and licensing work.

The overall objective of the project was to improve skill and effectiveness of the regulatory body.
The specific project objective was the transfer of Western European Regulatory Methodology and Practices to the Nuclear Safety Authority of Ukraine, through the following task objectives.

• Task 1: to assist the beneficiary with the development of a regulatory strategy, to review and comment on selected draft Ukrainian standards and regulations.
• Task 2: continuation of the improvement of the Ukrainian Licensing System, taking into account the progress achieved by SNRCU in the development of its own basic safety regulations.
• Task 3: to support SNRCU in the implementation of a new licensing system for training organisations through the advice on the implementation of a new system of certification of operating personnel such as responsible shift personnel.
• Task 5: training of personnel and assistance in the development of the Quality management of regulatory activities.
• Task 6: development of preparatory work for the procurement of the office equipment for the new staff coming to the SNRCU.
• Task 7: development and application of a methodology to assess the population radiological dose from the contamination of the environment from uranium facilities

The project was organised in the following activities:

Examination of technical documentation to be provided by the Nuclear Safety Authority of Ukraine,
Presentation of Western European Regulatory Methodology and Practices to the Nuclear Safety Authority of Ukraine

The expected output was:

• The minutes of the meetings outlining the comments and recommendations arising from the review of the regulatory documents,
• Technical reports prepared at the end of each task.
• A description of the main activities carried out in the most relevant tasks and of the relevant results/deliverables is detailed in the following sections.

Task 1: Standards and Regulations for Nuclear Safety

The work of this task was divided into two main technical areas.

Sub-task 1.1: Establishing a structured approach to safety assessment and a structured approach to licensing.

At the relevant meeting the discussion provided a comprehensive illustration of the safety factors to be considered in a modern Periodic Safety Review (PSR). The working group endorsed:

• The intention of SNRCU to revise existing regulatory documents on the basis of IAEA published documents.
• The view of SNRCU that the current standard OPB-2000 should be modified using current best practices and particularly the safety requirements recommended in the IAEA published documents.
• The intention of SNRCU to produce appropriate regulatory documentation to describe the PSR process to be adopted in Ukraine.

At the meeting in Paris (November, 12^th to 16^th, 2001) the Team of European experts provided a number of valuable comments and recommendations intended to improve methodology guidelines for Design Basis Accidents (DBA) and Beyond Design Basis Accidents (BDBA). All proposals were considered by the SNRCU by March of 2002, when the decision about their acceptance or rejection was taken.

At the final meeting in Kiev the working group endorsed the following:

• The intention of SNRCU to revise existing regulatory documents on the basis of IAEA and other published documents.
• The view of SNRCU that the current PBY should be modified using current best practices and particularly the safety requirements recommended in the IAEA published documents.
• The intention of SNRCU to produce appropriate regulatory documentation to describe the PSR process to be adopted in Ukraine.

Sub-task 1.2: Quality Assurance (QA).

The meeting on Quality Assurance at Nuclear Power Plants was successfully held in Spain. The participants agreed that the final version of the draft document "Provisions on organization of State supervision of the NPP QA system at the stage of operation", presented by the Ukrainian experts, determined general principles of state supervision over the functioning of NPP QA system according to the recommendations of IAEA, international standards and experience of the regulatory authorities of the European Union. There was stated a necessity for further cooperation in the development of the documents for inspection of the Regulatory Authority of Ukraine, which were necessary for the supervision over the Utility QA system. The program for future cooperation in 2003 was discussed, including the development of inspection procedures on supervision over implementation and functioning of the Utility's QA system.

Task 2: Assistance to define a methodology of assessment systems with digital Instrumentation and Control (I &C)

The first meeting on the Instrumentation and Control (I&C) assessment took place in Helsinki. The SNRCU continued the programme of developing the regulatory guidance concerning modern Instrumentation and Control. Related to modernization of I&C systems at the Ukrainian NPPs and to the application of national and international requirements, it was agreed that it was necessary to develop and implement an assessment process.

The second meeting was held in Garching, Germany. Overviews of current digital upgrade projects in Finland, Germany and Ukraine were given. The main items concerned:

• examples of digital upgrading,
• qualification of the software based systems with the help of test tools,
• regulations and requirements of software based safety systems,
• qualification methods in the Ukraine on basis of Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS)

Task 3: Regulatory System for monitoring operator training and licensing

The relevant workshop was held in Ukraine, including a visit to the Rovno NPP and the Site Inspectorate. Two EU experts participated, as well as three experts from the SNRCU Inspection headquarters, 4 site inspectors and 1 interpreter.
An internal SNRCU working meeting was held in the town of Yuzhno-Ukrainsk. Two experts from the SNRCU Inspection headquarters and 5 site Inspectors (one of each nuclear site) participated. The main items were the following:

• discussions and decision making on the issues connected with the implementation of NPP personnel certification process as well as licensing of personnel training for the Ukrainian NPP operation,
• discussions and review of the activity of the working group participants, setting the objects within Task 3 for the future.

The results were the following:

• The "Questionnaire WWER-1000", now available on all sites, will be used as reference and methodology document.
• The "Questionnaire RBMK-1000" was also developed. It was noticed that this "Questionnaire" will be completed for the decommissioning stage.
• The use of the Database on the Certification Commission for certified personnel in site inspection offices at Nuclear Power Plants will be extended through regular transfer of a current status report on the certificate validity of the personnel of each Nuclear Power Plant.
• The development of training materials in NPP Training Centres was discussed. An action plan was decided with the objective to perform at the NPP training Centres the implementation of relevant parts of the planned improvement measures.

Two workshops were organised in AVN, Brussels. The delegates from the SNRCU came from both the central office and the nuclear sites. Two EU experts, three experts from the SNRCU Inspection headquarters, 4 site inspectors and one translator took part in these activities.

The first workshop in Brussels was held in January 2002. The successful issues of the database and the questionnaires on the examination and certification of NPP operating personnel was closed. Licensing of shift supervisors was introduced in Khmelinitsky and Rovno, which showed that the pressure exerted by SNRCU paid off. The new situation of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was discussed, as this was a new area in which the SNRCU needed to establish its own regulatory practice.

The second workshop was held in Brussels.The main issues considered were:

• qualification and requirements of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CHNPP) operating personnel,
• SNRCU procedures for inspecting simulator-training centres, revision of the normative technical documents related to certification of NPP operating personnel and to licensing of training centres
• preparation of the following workshop and definition of future needs for assistance.

The last workshop was organised in Kiev. Two EU experts participated, as well as three experts from the SNRCU Inspection headquarters, 4 site Inspectors, representatives of the Khmelnitsky NPP and 1 interpreter took part. The main activities were the following:

• Evaluation of the realisations of Task 3 and closure of the task. The western experts expressed their high satisfaction about the results which SNRCU has realised. They recognised that an important progress had taken place during the previous two years, without outside support. This indicated that the transfer of Western European methodology and practices was effective and that the SNRCU became much more independent in defining its regulatory course. This last workshop concluded a very successful and sustainable activity, which started in 1995 and which reached its final objectives: to establish the needed regulatory normative documents in the area of the training and licensing of NPP operating personnel and the related simulator training centres and to implement these documents. The established regulatory system was fully sustainable and entered a phase of optimisation.
• Communication with the European Commission and the public of the obtained results. During this workshop the SNRCU organised a press conference in the EC premises to present their new regulatory framework and practices in the area of NPP personnel certification and licensing of training centres.
• Discussion and preparation of the future activity. A proposal for future assistance was developed on the use of a full scope simulator during an on-site emergency planning exercise with the objective to verify the preparedness of the NPP personnel but in particular the operators, as well as a knowledge transfer to SNRCU. The delegation of the Khmelinitsky NPP supported the activity and was fully prepared to co-operate with SNRCU to make the necessary preparations and arrangements.

Task 5: Support to SNRCU new staff

The objective of Task 5 was divided into two main technical areas.

Sub-task 5.1: Training of new personnel of SNRGU

The first meeting took place in Spain. It was dedicated to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities in Spain. The example of Vandellos 1 NPP (Natural Uranium -Gas -Graphite reactor) was illustrated by presentations in Madrid and by a stay on site.
A second meeting was held in Bootie (UK). The SNRCU staff was shown the range of regulatory and licensing activity during decommissioning of nuclear reactors and decommissioning practices on the two sites visited. A good basis was provided for the debriefing meeting to be held in Kiev during February 2002.

Furthermore, two meetings on training of new personnel of SNRCU on commissioning were held in UK and in Spain.
During these two meetings, the following issues were underlined with the purpose to apply them to the SNRCU activities:

• The regulatory system of Great Britain is based on the recommendations. It is necessary to transform the regulatory activity from the "indicatory" to the "recommendatory". This corresponds to the tendency of Western countries regulatory system development.
• Great deal of attention should be paid to the experience of interactions among the regulatory authorities.

Sub-task 5.2: Assistance in the development of the Quality management of regulatory activities

The first meeting was held in Kiev. It was a workshop on general goals, design and implementation of the regulatory body Quality Plan and Quality System, with the purpose to understand the needs of the SNRCU, and to transmit Western experience. A list of priorities was agreed. The second meeting was a visit of the SNRCU experts to the Council of Nuclear Safety (CSN) in Madrid. The Spanish participants presented to the Ukrainian colleagues the topics that they considered useful for the implementation of the CSN Quality Plan, such as Training, Communication, Budget aspects, Inspections Planning, etc. The CSN Emergency Response Centre and the Information Centre were visited. The procedures for the development of Quality System documents were discussed and analysed.

During the meeting held in Bootie, UK, SNRCU staff was shown the quality management system in use in the NII (UK Inspectorate). They were shown how NII develops its processes through the Business Management System and ensures Continuous Improvement.

The final meeting in Kiev was considered to be successful by the EC experts and experts of the SNRCU. The draft program for future cooperation in 2003 was discussed, including the need for the development of a Quality Manual, procedures for the management system for document circulation, and development of guides for supervision of the implementation and deployment of the NPPs Quality System.

Task 6: Procurement of office equipment

All steps of a typical procurement task were implemented: preparation of the tender dossier, tender evaluation, equipment delivery and acceptance.

Task 7: Environment monitoring

The training of a Ukrainian expert in IRSN office in France was successfully completed, using calculation codes with representative data of a Ukrainian site.

Comments

(Quality of the results, Lesson learnt, Recommendations for follow-up)

The project met the objectives stated in the TORs.