Current status and development perspectives of state nuclear and radiation safety regulation in the Russian Federation

The state radiation safety regulation in Russia stems from the establishment in 1946 of the state radiation monitoring service (the RNC 'Kurchatov Istitute' nowadays). The nuclear safety was subject to control later. Since 1963 NPP safety was brought under oversight by various organisations. It should be noted that the main emphasis was laid on controlling nuclear safety. Gosatomnadzor of Russia was shaped as it is now in 1991 (first as the State Committee, then - the State Committee under the President of the Russian Federation, then - the Federal Service and finally - the Federal Authority). Gosatomnadzor of Russia has become not only a supervisory, but also regulatory body. The share of competence of Gosatomnadzor of Russia was extended to cover, along with NPPs and nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel cycle facilities and national economy organizations as well as military facilities. Later, by Decrees of the President of the Russian Federation (1993, 1995) the Ministry of Defense and a number of Minatom's facilities and organizations were taken out from the Gosatomnadzor of Russia's oversight. Presently, basic areas of activities of Gosatomnadzor of Russia being the state authority for nuclear and radiation safety regulation, spring from the Federal Law on 'Atomic Energy Use' and are defined by the 'Statute of the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Authority of Russia' approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in 2002. Among these areas are the following: a) Development, approval and enactment of federal rules and regulations in the area of atomic energy use; b) Licensing with the aim of ensuring safety of activities in the area of atomic energy use; Organization of safety expert review of nuclear installations, radiation sources and storage facilities; Oversight for compliance with nuclear and radiation safety rules and regulations as well as license conditions; Conduct of inspections by Gosatomnadzor of Russia's inspection departments with regard to their authority. Now Gosatomnadzor of Russia regulates more than 2,000 enterprises and organizations with various forms of ownership. They operate more than 6,000 objects, which use atomic energy (including NPPs, fuel cycle facilities, marine power installations, research reactors, facilities for storage of nuclear materials, spent fuel and radioactive waste, etc). In 2003 Gosatomnadzor of Russia developed and approved 8 federal rules and regulations pertaining to atomic energy use (in addition to 41 which were developed earlier), 1 safety guide and 33 regulatory guidelines. During this period 1,416 licenses were issued for enterprises and organizations operating in the area of atomic use (currently, there are more than 4,300 licenses) and 3,870 permissions to work in the nuclear area were given to personnel of facilities using atomic energy. 11,211 inspections of enterprises and organizations operating in the area of atomic energy use were carried out. In the results of the inspections 12,051 cases of non-compliance with federal rules and regulations or license conditions were revealed and prescribed to be eliminated. In regard to more severe cases of non-compliance, 27 licenses were suspended until corrective measures were undertaken and 111 prescriptions were made to halt works. Well-planned actions for implementing the state oversight and enforcement, enhancement of requirements from the inspector's side resulted in 2003 in a considerable decrease of non-compliance cases- from 12,294 in 2002 down to 12,051 in 2003. The number of prescription requirements enforced by Gosatomnadzor of Russia, but not fulfilled has become much lower - from 157 in 2002 to 77 in 2003. This allows to conclude that the nuclear and radiation safety of facilities using atomic energy is maintained at an adequate level and tends to be continuously improved. Among the main challenges that should be overcome in the upcoming years, the following should be highlighted: a) With regard to upcoming transition of the safe use of atomic energy regulation to the regulatory framework where technical regulations will be applied in the Russian Federation], it is necessary to complete very soon the development of federal rules and regulations in the nuclear field (including regulations on the production and use of MOX fuel) and concentrate efforts on producing within stringent time limits a number of technical regulations, including the generic technical regulation 'On Nuclear and Radiation Safety'. It will be also necessary to introduce relevant changes to some federal laws and legal acts of the Russian Federation. Substantial assistance in this respect is rendered by experts of the G-8 Nuclear Safety and Security Working Group, EC regulatory bodies and international organizations (IAEA, OECD/NEA). b) According to the 'Fundamentals of State Policy Pertaining to Ensuring Nuclear and Radiation Safety in the Russian Federation for the Period up to Year 2010 and Further Perspective', approved by the President of the Russian Federation on 4 December 2004, it is necessary to solve a number of significant tasks aimed at enhancing the state safety regulation of atomic energy use, including the improvement of the licensing and oversight effectiveness. c) It has become imminent to develop an emergency response concept in the system of Gosatomnadzor of Russia and the concept of state regulation of nuclear and radiation safety for facilities produced by peaceful nuclear explosion