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Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 2007-2013: establishment

2006/0802(CNS)

The Commission presents its first report in compliance with the reporting requirement set out in Council Regulation (EURATOM) No  300/2007 establishing an Instrument  for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (the INSC Regulation.) The INSC programme continued the nuclear safety cooperation initiated under TACIS with the former Soviet Union, but it had its geographical coverage extended to become global. The report provides information on the implementation of the Annual Action

Programmes for the first three years of INSC, 2007, 2008 and 2009, including projects approved until the end of 2009 and their state of implementation by mid

2010. Initial difficulties in the transitory phase from TACIS to INSC, due primarily to delays in getting partner countries to sign Financing Agreements under the new format, have meanwhile been largely overcome, with the exception of Russia. As in 2007, the Russian Federation was not prepared to sign the Financing Agreement, the Commission decided to reallocate the funds envisaged for Russia (EUR 17.2 million) to other activities. The reallocation of funds was concluded before the end of 2009, when the procedural timeframe would have expired. The funds were used for Ukrainian and Armenian projects and an additional contribution to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund (EUR 10.7million) in anticipation of the next pledge.

The main developments on nuclear safety cooperation and assistance provided under the INSC over the period 2007-2009 were as follows.

Ukraine:targeted support was provided to the regulator and the operator. A major achievement was the evaluation of the nuclear safety of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) under a joint project with the IAEA. The evaluation provided valuable information on the status of the plants, as well as the situation of nuclear waste management and the nuclear regulator in Ukraine and demonstrated the significant improvements in nuclear safety in the recent years.

Russia:projects initiated under TACIS continued under the INSC, but no new projects have been possible since a suitable cooperation framework could not be agreed. Discussions are ongoing to resume cooperation activities with a reduced scope.

Armenia:important projects have been launched concerning the Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant to address urgent safety issues while the plant is operating. However the Commission continues to maintain the position that the plant cannot be upgraded to modern nuclear safety standards and therefore it should be closed down as soon as is practical. Projects provided training of personnel, assistance to the nuclear regulator and development of a waste management strategy in preparation for future decommissioning.

Belarusand Georgia:cooperation continued with relatively small projects. However, for Belarus discussions took place to step-up the cooperation with the regulator in order to improve its capabilities in anticipation of the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. The Programme was extended to new countries in three regions as follows:

Countries covered by theEuropean Neighbourhood Policy:projects were launched in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco mainly to support the regulatory authorities.

South-East Asia: projects were initiated in the Philippinesand Vietnam.

Latin America: projects were launched with the nuclear regulator and the operator in Brazil. Contacts were also established with Mexicoand Argentina.

Another important element of the Programme was the extended cooperation with the IAEA to support thematic technical activities at country or regional level. These included, inter alia, development of safety culture, capacity building of regulators, waste management, research reactors safety and seismic safety. This element of the programme will remain very important in the coming years.

Significant financial support was provided to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and the Nuclear Safety Account, managed by the EBRD on behalf of the donor countries. A G8 NSSG (Nuclear Safety and Security Group) – EBRD Contact Group was created to closely follow-up the Chernobyl projects. This group is chaired by the Commission.

The EU Results-Oriented Monitoring Programme for European Neighbourhood and Partnership Countriespresented the following main conclusions on the INSC

nuclear safety projects:

  • the projects continue to be designed in line with the strategic documents of the Instrument of Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC). The relevance is assessed as highly appropriate and compatible with the IAEA 2007 Fundamental Safety Principles;
  • the enhancement of the nuclear safety culture through INSC duly incorporates lessons learned from the Tacis Nuclear Safety programme, while properly addressing emerging needs within a mandate no longer restricted to the region of the former Soviet Union;
  • the transition to INSC did not cause an interruption in the cooperation with Armenia and Ukraine, while for implementing INSC projects in the Russian Federation, a special basis is only now being established;
  • the new initiative to enhance the regulatory oversight through INSC projects is appropriate;
  • INSC projects with focus on exchange of know-how and practices are appreciated by partners in target countries.

Projects in the other regions covered so far by the INSC (Latin America and South East Asia) are not sufficiently advanced to draw meaningful conclusions about their implementation.