U3.01/01 Transfer of western european regulatory methodology and practices to the nuclear safety authorities of Ukraine

The purpose of this third year follow-up project was to continue to consolidate the achievements of the first two years, covered by the projects UK/RA/03 and 04 (see the relevant PRSs), and deepen the co-operation for further practical and procedural improvements in the field of nuclear safety in Ukraine.

Specific objectives identified for the overall three-year project were the basis for defining the activities for the present contract, namely:

• contributing to the further build up of the achieved regulatory system;
• improving the workflow and the management capabilities of the regulatory body and its supporting organisation;
• improving the interface and co-operation with licensee, industry and scientific-technical institutions.

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 Development of nuclear and radiation safety norms and rules

The objective of this task was to assist the Project Partner in the development of the regulatory pyramid, reviewing and commenting selected draft Ukrainian standards and regulations. The main reviewed document was the PBY RU AS-89 on the safety principles, issued in 1989. The document was reviewed and made consistent with the new policy of Ukraine which was aimed to harmonise national legislation and normative acts with the legislation of European Union and International Organisations such as the IAEA.
A second document was also developed, dealing with the periodic safety review of the NPPs.

Task 2 Support to the implementation and to the operation of quality control system of SNRCU.

The objective of this Task was the implementation and operation support of SNRCU Quality System, using the experience of regulatory authorities of Western European countries. A Quality Manual was developed containing the statements on QA policy and the description of the interactions among all the quality control system processes.
An effective electronic documents circulation system was developed for the second level management directives (process description) and third level directives (checklists).
A document was developed on “Provisions in order of organisation and realisation of state surveillance of nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine” and of the system of inspection documents.

Task 3 Staff training and professional upgrading of SNRCU personnel

Criteria were selected for training system development and definition of requirements regarding the qualification of SNRCU personnel. The objectives was reached through a discussion of the approaches in the establishment of staff qualification requirements with reference to the different areas of SNRCU activity (regulation, licensing, surveillance, technical support), the presentation of a system conception for training and qualification assurance of SNRCU staff and the definition of a draft qualification requirements.

A training program for key SNRCU staff was developed after a presentation of the final draft of the training program developed by SNRCU for experts involved into licensing process and inspections, surveillance of training of NPP staff and NPP operators. The relevant schedule was discussed and approved.

Training material was developed for workshops on safety culture for SNRCU specialists. After a discussion on needs for training of personnel on safety culture, draft training programs were developed by SNRCU.

Task 4 Support to the Regulatory Authority of Ukraine in the context of the nuclear safety conventions fulfillment (according to results of the second meeting on review of national reports)

The objectives of this task were:

• to strengthen the co-operation between regulatory authorities of Ukraine and of European countries in all complex of issues related to the recommendations of the second meeting on review of the fulfilment of obligations of the Nuclear Safety Convention (April 15th – 26th, 2002, Vienna, Austria);
• to set up a permanent information exchange network with foreign regulatory authorities on the issues related to the fulfilment of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (between review meetings).

As an output of this project, the informal communication system was established between Ukrainian and EU regulatory authorities, the dialogue with the nuclear operators and the decision-makers became a permanent structure aimed at giving advice on:

• implementation of effective regulatory policy,
• safety culture upgrading,
• performance of more comprehensive studies on NPP safety status applying probabilistic safety analysis methodologies,
• justification of the need of financial resources allocation for the safe upgrade of nuclear facilities,
• investigation of ageing processes of Nuclear Power Plants,
• rules to create and feed funds for NPP decommissioning,
• insurance of an effective state system of personnel selection, training and retraining of specialists on nuclear and radiation safety issues,
• development of an emergency response system.

Task 5 Development in SNRCU of informational activity, including public relations

A document on “Provisions on organisation of informational activity and public relations in SNRCU” was developed. The document regulated the relations between SNRCU and the public, including mass media and public organisations, except the information diffused via Internet (on SNRCU site).
In this framework, the SNRCU web-site was improved using interactive technologies. The SNRCU web-site was created with the purpose to ensure free access of the public to information on the status of nuclear and radiation safety in Ukraine and to other issues related to all aspects of SNRCU activity. The interactive technologies improved the communication between SNRCU and the public and allowed the citizens to participate in the discussion on environmental and sustainable development issues.

Task 6 Familiarisation with the system of research and development supporting the regulatory authorities in the context of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management

A study of the research work on spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management in EU countries was carried out as preliminary to the implementation of provisions of the Joint Convention on Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management in national legislation of EU countries. On this basis an example of a National Report fulfilling commitments of the Joint Convention by Ukraine was developed.

A comparative analysis was carried out of existing systems of scientific and technical support to regulatory authorities in European countries and in Ukraine; proposals were developed to improve the research planning and performance in Ukraine.

Task 7 Participation of State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine in international conferences

The increasing responsibility of SNRCU required a comprehensive knowledge of international activities in the field of regulatory activities. Therefore the participation of experts from SNRCU in international conferences was considered important for the regulatory work. Some financial support for the participation of experts from the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine in international conferences was provided.

Task 8 Support to equipment procurement

Office equipment was procured in order to improve the working conditions of SNRCU staff and, also, to support the creation and development of Internet and Intranet service. The consultant gave support to the EC project manager:

• in the preparation of the tender dossier referring to the equipment to be procured under the separate supply contract,
• in the tender evaluation phase,
• in the equipment delivery and installation, including the provisional acceptance.

Task 9 Impact assessment

A review of the results of the project as a whole achieved so far (2nd phase) was carried out, taking also into account the regulatory assistance to SNRCU from the time when the assistance started.

Comments

(Quality of the results, Lesson learned, Recommendations for follow-up)
The project met the objectives stated in the TORs.