IAEA'S Safety Review of Vinca's Spent Fuel Repackaging Operation

The RA research reactor, at the 'Vinca' Institute of Nuclear Sciences approximately 15 km South-East of downtown Belgrade, has been in extended shut down since 1984. The Serbian government decided in 2002 to a permanent shut down of the reactor and to participate in the repatriation programme to ship the spent nuclear fuel back to the country of origin, Russia. A new Serbian Law was issued on 12 May 2009 by which a new Agency for Ionizing Radiation and Nuclear Safety of the Republic of Serbia (Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear safety Authority: SRPNA) was established. The SRNPA replaced the Serbian Regulatory Commission (SRC) which was created in April 2005. The law required also that all nuclear liabilities and assets have to be transferred, from the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, to a new Public Company Nuclear Facilities of Serbia (PC NFS), including the responsibility for the research reactors, spent fuel and radioactive waste management at the Vinca Institute. The repackaging of the degraded fuel elements, which was necessary before loading into the transport containers to ensure safe transportation, started early December 2009 and was completed the end of May 2010. The loading of the transport containers started in August 2010 and was completed mid November 2010. The spent fuel transport left the premises on 19 November 2010 and reached safely the final destination on December 22, 2010. IAEA's Safety Review activities from 2005 - 2009 of Vinca's Spent Nuclear Fuel Repackaging Operation were discussed during the RRFM 2010 meeting. This paper discusses the safety review activities conducted in 2010