2.9 Overview and status of international projects and efforts to eliminate
management is necessary but will not solve all the problems in this area. For the effective operation of the law, it is necessary to define and develop all the necessary documents aimed at implementing its
provisions. This work must be completed before the Bill is submitted to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Some of these documents were developed earlier and were applied in the field of RW
management but require some processing to take into account modern requirements for the development of regulatory legal documents and the implementation of appropriate procedures for re-registration and enforcement.
A draft Concept of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On RW management” was developed with support from DSA and sent most recently for approval to the ministries and specialized organizations and departments in April 2019. Comments have been worked out and considered in a revised draft Concept.
The draft Concept was presented at the meeting of the Atomic Energy Commission of the Public Council of the ME RK. The analysis of the regulatory impact is at the stage of development and coordination with the legal department of the Ministry of Economy.
Other documents must be developed in accordance with the provisions of the law. These should include documents related to the remediation of uranium legacy sites and the decommissioning of nuclear and radiation facilities, including:
Criteria and requirements for the remediation of uranium legacy territories considering the climatic conditions of the region.
Ensuring the radiation safety of personnel and the public during the subsequent use of the territory, buildings and structures after rehabilitation.
Reference levels to optimize exposure of the population in areas with radioactive contamination.
Rules for the decontamination of premises, equipment and materials.
Rules for licensing of activities within programs of uranium mines remediation.
Guidelines for the allocation of responsibility between government agencies, operator and contractor during work on uranium legacy territories remediation.
Guidelines for conducting regulatory review and assessment of the applications, authorization and inspections of remediation of uranium legacy sites and uranium mines.
It is also necessary to develop regulatory documents for work on the remediation of nuclear testing sites and criteria and hygienic standards for the remediation of territories contaminated with radionuclides. In addition, documents are required that define procedures for interaction of state regulatory bodies in the field of RW management and for establishment of an effective financing mechanism for RW management in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
2.9.2 Cooperation with other international organizations
IAEA
The Republic of Kazakhstan became a member of the IAEA in 1994 and subsequently joined a number of important international conventions, such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety [22], the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident [35], the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiation Emergency [36], Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management [17], and the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its Amendment [23, 37]. Participation in the International Conventions imposes certain obligations on the participating countries. In order to fulfill such obligations under the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, a member state must have an appropriate regulatory and legal framework for the safe
management of SNF and RW. This implies the creation of the necessary regulatory documents and mechanisms.
At present, under the auspice of the IAEA, four national projects, selected for a five-year period (2016-2020), are being implemented within the framework of RK-IAEA Technical Cooperation:
1. "Scientific and technical support of the work on the land transfer from the former
Semipalatinsk test site for economic use." The (KAZ9014) project developer is the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology, NNC RK. The goal of the project includes expert’s support and strengthening of analytical, and production capabilities during environmental radiological studies to assess the possibility of transferring of lands from former
Semipalatinsk Test Site for economic use.
2. “Creation of high-tech centers of nuclear medicine (KAZ6011) in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. The project developer is the Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Kazakhstan. The goal of the project is the introduction of high-tech methods of radiation therapy and nuclear medicine in five oncological centers of Kazakhstan (Astana, Almaty, Aktobe, Karaganda, and Semey).
3. KAZ2008 Project - “Support in organization of nuclear power plants construction in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. The project developer is the Department of Atomic Energy and Industry of the ME RK. The goal is to support the IAEA in development of nuclear energy infrastructure in Kazakhstan.
4. (KAZ1004) Project - Development of an information-measuring system for a reactor installation. The project developer is the Institute of Atomic Energy, NNC RK. Project goal:
increasing the reliability indicators of the IVG.1M reactor installation by modernizing of the information-measuring system.
In addition, under the auspices of the IAEA, Kazakhstan is implementing a project on deployment of the LEU Bank, which opened in Kazakhstan in 2017, to ensure guaranteed supplies of nuclear fuel to NPPs of IAEA Member States.
INIR mission
In 2016 the IAEA conducted an INIR mission in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The mission was required by the Kazakhstan Government and its main purpose was evaluation of the infrastructure of the regulatory system regarding the state plan on building a new NPP. RW management is one of the important directions of this process. For example, In the report of the INIR mission, recommendation No. R-17.1.1 was made:
"Kazakhstan should assess the increased requirements for the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, which will be formed as a result of the implementation of the nuclear energy program and consider a common approach to their management, including organizational and financial resources, taking into account the available radioactive waste from existing facilities."
Coordination Group for the Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS)
The Republic of Kazakhstan joined CGULS in 2013. The CGULS, coordinated by the IAEA, supports affected IAEA Member States by assisting them to develop projects that will provide solutions for remediation of their legacy uranium production sites and give confidence to potential donors to invest.
The CGULS will serve as a forum for collaboration, discussion, and exchange of information on plans and programs to be implemented under national and international initiatives, with the objective of effectively and efficiently addressing legacy wastes at uranium production sites. In this regard, CGULS members will assist in monitoring and facilitating progress of pre-defined projects and works, taking into account the technical baseline document (Assessment and Way Forward for Legacy Uranium Production sites in Central Asia: An International Approach), the Strategic Master Plan for remediation of uranium legacy sites in Central Asia (draft) and other documents as appropriate and as agreed upon by the CGULS.
EuCAS
At the end of 2016 the Republic of Kazakhstan become a member of the EuCAS network, which was created as a part of the IAEA Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN). Participation in EuCAS presents a good opportunity to share information and experience with other countries regarding safety infrastructure, RW management, environmental remediation and decommissioning, and education and training in this area. The activities of EuCAS are carried out through specialized Working Groups created within the network. At the First Steering Committee Meeting of EuCAS in December 2016 in Vienna, Austria, the Republic of Kazakhstan was identified as a leader of the Working Group on Environmental Remediation and Decommissioning (WG 3).
During the period of 2017 - 2018, representatives from Kazakhstan participated in a series of events under EuCAS. The Republic of Kazakhstan was represented in these events by CAESC, NNC RK and NTSC staff.
International Workshop on the Regulatory Supervision of Legacy Sites
The Republic of Kazakhstan participated in an international workshop on “Regulatory Supervision of Legacy Sites: The Process from Recognition to Resolution” that was held from 21 - 23 November 2017 in Lillehammer, Norway. The workshop was organized by the NRPA/DSA in cooperation with the IAEA, International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency. The main topics of the workshop were:
International perspectives and current activities in regulatory supervision of legacies
methodologies for legacy regulation and management including long term site management and on-site disposal
Scientific, technical and regulatory aspects for remediation (including safety and environmental assessments, remediation and environmental monitoring)
Social and ethical issues: uncertainties, risk communication and engagement of stakeholders.
Representatives from NTSC, CAESC and NNC RK attended the workshop.
Studying the experience of other countries with developed nuclear energy and industry, as well as significant experience in dealing with radioactive waste from past activities, shows that the presence of legislative mechanisms is the most effective and expedient condition for solving problems of RW management.
In view of the above, there is a clear need for strengthening the legislative regulation of activities for the management of RW in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is an important element of the peaceful use of atomic energy.
A list of completed, ongoing and future international projects is provided in Table 1.
Table 1 List of completed, ongoing and future international projects
TITLE OF THE PROJECT PERIOD OF
PERFORMANCE NORWAY- KAZAKHSTAN
1 Regulation of radioactive waste management under its long-term storage
and disposal in the Republic of Kazakhstan. 2009-2011
2 Development of draft law on radioactive waste management and draft regulatory document on requirements for predisposal management of radioactive waste in the Republic of Kazakhstan
2012-2016
3 Regulation of activity in the field of atomic energy use in the Republic of Kazakhstan
2018-2019 IAEA – KAZAKHSTAN (TECHNICAL COOPERATION)
National and regional projects carried out under the TC program with IAEA in Kazakhstan over the
1 Scientific and technical support of the work on the land transfer from the former Semipalatinsk test site for economic use, KAZ9014
2016-2020 2 Creation of high-tech centers of nuclear medicine (KAZ6011) in the
Republic of Kazakhstan, KAZ6011 2016-2020
3 Support in organization of nuclear power plants construction in the
Republic of Kazakhstan, KAZ2008 2016-2020
4 Development of an information-measuring system for a reactor
installation, KAZ1004 2016-2020
5 Deployment of Low Enriched Uranium Bank (BNOU) Since 2015
6 INIR mission in the Republic of Kazakhstan 2016
7 Coordination Group for the Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS) Since 2013 European and Central Asia Safety Network (EuCAS)
1 A part of the IAEA GNSSN with activities carried out through specialized Working Groups.
Since 2016