Reference
The document has been drawn up by the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management (Rostekhnadzor).
Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the area of nuclear and radiation safety regulation in the process of peaceful use of atomic energy was carried out under the Agreement between the Federal Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervisory Authority of Russia and the Republic of Belarus’ State Committee for the Supervision of the Safe Conduct of Works in Industry and the Atomic Power Industry of April 21, 1994. However, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Construction of a Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus signed on March 15, 2011, between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Belarus called for introducing significant amendments to the Agreement of 1994.
While working on the amendments, the Parties came to an agreement to draw up and prepare for signing a new agreement on interagency cooperation to replace the current Agreement of 1994.
The agreement between Rostekhnadzor and the Ministry for Emergencies of the Republic of Belarus is designed to improve Belarus’ national nuclear and radiation safety regulation system by envisaging further cooperation between the Russian and Belarusian supervisory and safety regulation agencies during the location, designing, and construction of nuclear power plants in the following main areas:
- developing a legal framework on nuclear and radiation safety;
- licensing activities in the area of peaceful use of atomic energy;
- providing supervision and oversight, including preparing and implementing inspection programmes;
- providing safety regulation of processes involving the handling of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, including their transportation and safe storage;
- supervising registration and oversight of nuclear materials, radioactive substances, and radioactive waste, as well as supervising the physical protection of nuclear installations, radiation sources, nuclear materials, radioactive substances, and storage facilities;
- evaluating NPP performance, as well as plans and measures to enhance their safety;
- supervising quality of NPP construction;
- emergency preparedness and emergency response;
- assessing conformity of products (works, services), for which atomic power utilisation safety requirements are laid down, design processes (including research), manufacturing, construction, installation, adjustment, operation, storage, transportation, sale, disposal and waste burial.
The Directive is aimed at tackling the Consolidation of the Innovation Potential of Russian Nuclear Technologies and Expansion of the Sphere of their Use goal of the Development of the Nuclear Power Industry State Programme of the Russian Federation.