Федеральная служба
по экологическому, технологическому и атомному надзору
http://www.gosnadzor.ru/
The Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Oversight (Rostekhnadzor) was formed by presidential decree on 20 May 2004. The new service absorbed the Federal Inspectorate for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (known as Gosatomnadzor, or GAN, until March 2004, when it was renamed the Federal Nuclear Oversight Service), the Federal Service for Technological Oversight, and the environmental oversight functions of the Federal Service for Oversight of the Environment and the Use of Nature (other functions of this latter service were transferred to the newly-formed Federal Service for Oversight of the Use of Nature).[1] Thus, as part of this restructuring, the nuclear regulator’s mandate for oversight was expanded to non-nuclear areas.
In May 2008, in another administrative reorganization of the Russian government, Rostekhnadzor was placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology. It appears that Rostekhnadzor has suffered cuts in funding and personnel, while the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology was endowed with functions on forming state policy and normative legal regulations in the nuclear sphere.[2] As of October 2008, it is unclear whether the restructuring permits effective independent government oversight of the nuclear sphere.
The four main nuclear oversight tasks that have been assigned to Gosatomnadzor, and have seemingly been retained through the restructurings have been the regulation of nuclear activity, including the development of regulatory guidelines for nuclear and radiation safety, material control and accounting (MC&A), physical protection (PP), radioactive waste management, and industrial safety; inspection activities, involving the verification of compliance at facilities with set regulations; licensing; and assessment, including the making of recommendations to other agencies and the government.[3] The nuclear regulator has regional offices (see below) responsible for overseeing nuclear-related industries in each region.[4]
For a long period of time, the regulator’s mandate for oversight of nuclear materials has been ambiguous. According to a 1996 report, GAN was responsible for the oversight of about 50% of Russia's nuclear materials.[5] However, a Russian nuclear official pointed out in 1996 that GAN did not have legal authority over MC&A, only over physical protection. The individual stated that GAN has tried to force itself into this area, especially since safeguards is a "hot international topic," but apparently no Russian government officials supported such a move. This official also indicated that the IAEA has recognized that safeguards are under the jurisdiction of Minatom, which is where they should remain as Minatom has more expertise in safeguards issues.[6] However, as of 2002 GAN was performing inspections of MC&A at Russian facilities.[7] As of 2008, Rostekhnadzor’s current statute provides for oversight of both MC&A and physical protection.[3] In March 2008, Rostekhnadzor published draft federal rules and regulations on the requirements on organizing material balance zones.
Russian law called for regional administrations to establish Regional Informational and Analysis Centers by 2001 to carry out yearly inventories of radioactive materials in their regions. However, only 58 regions (of 85) had formally created such centers by the end of 2002,[8] and in 2004 they were reported as fully functioning in just 39 (of 85) regions.[9] For
a detailed report by Yuriy Volodin on the GAN system for regulating and
monitoring MPC&A, click here.
All information and reports about nuclear activities
at facilities in Russia are integrated by the National Information System.
This system is divided into two sub-systems, the defense materials sub-system
and the civilian materials sub-system. The Ministry of Defense is seeking
the authority to create its own national information system of defense-related
materials.
Directorate for Monitoring at Nuclear Power Plants
Science and Technology Directorate
Directorate for Monitoring Nuclear and Radiation Safety at Research
Reactors and Marine Propulsion Reactors
Directorate for Monitoring Control and Accounting of Nuclear Materials
and Guaranteeing their Nonproliferation and Physical Protection
Directorate for Monitoring Nuclear and Radiation Safety in the National
Economy
Directorate for Oversight of Nuclear and Radiation Safety at Fuel Cycle
Facilities
Throughout the restructuring, the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Oversight retained the seven regional offices
it inherited from Gosatomnadzor, with headquarters
in Moscow.[1] (In 1995, the Moscow office employed some 195 professionals.[2])
Moscow. This
office monitors all research reactors and research facilities in Russia,
including Elektrostal, Obninsk, Dimitrovgrad, and Kurchatov.
Homepage:
http://www.mostehnadzor.ru
Novovoronezh.
This office monitors first-generation nuclear power plant VVER-440 units.
Khabarovsk. This office controls
facilities on the Pacific Coast, including a few military facilities that
are still under Gosatomnadzor control. These facilities fall under the
State Committee for Defense Industries, not the Ministry of Defense.
St. Petersburg. This
office controls facilities in Murmansk, Leningrad, Arkhangelsk, as well
as the facilities of the various Ministries (Minatom, Ministry of Transportation,
Academy of Sciences, etc.) in the region. This office also oversees RBMK
reactors.
Novosibirsk. This is the
largest office, controlling the region’s eleven fuel-cycle facilities including
Tomsk-7, Krasnoyarsk-45, Krasnoyarsk-26, and the mining facility at Krasnokamensk.
Yekaterinburg. This is the second
largest office, controlling facilities at Chelyabinsk-65, Chelyabinsk-70,
and Glazov.
Balakovo. This office monitors
second-generation nuclear power plants: VVER-1000 and FBR units.
SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING CENTER FOR NUCLEAR AND
RADIATION SAFETY (SEC NRS)
The center was established in 1987. Activities include
providing scientific and technical support for safety regulation, evaluation
of safety principles and criteria, assessment of project safety, and the
maintaining of databases.[1,2] Since 1995, SEC NRS has
recruited specialists from Minatom and other agencies to help conduct studies in
support of the permit-granting process for activities in the field of nuclear
energy. SEC NRS also prepares documents regulating safety at nuclear
facilities.[3] SEC NRS includes three safety departments with laboratories for technology, predictive
analysis, and safety assessment. Four
departments are responsible for GAN activities in the following areas: preparation of
documents; studies done by experts; R&D; and code qualification. Nine scientific and technical
departments oversee the work done in each area mentioned above.[3] The
center employs 300 specialists.[1,2]
12/27/2002: LAW ON TECHNICAL REGULATION REQUIRES NEW RADIOLOGICAL MATERIAL
REGULATIONS
The new law On Technical Regulation, signed into law by President Putin
on December 27, 2002, requires the drafting and adoption of new requirements for
the production, exploitation, storage, transport, and final disposition of
radiological materials.[1] These new regulations must be adopted within seven
years. Officials from Minatom and Gosatomnadzor have
been particularly worried by the fact that the law requires the new regulations
to set minimum requirements for nuclear safety. They argue that this
contradicts existing Russian and international requirements that set maximum
safety standards, and that the new law contradicts the principal of putting
safety above all other considerations when dealing with nuclear energy.[2] In
addition, Article 7 of the law On Technical Regulation states that only
those requirements that are included in the technical regulations can be
compulsory. This would seem to preclude Gosatomnadzor and Minatom from issuing
compulsory requirements to individual facilities on a case-by-case basis, or
making international agreements that require a particular facility to meet a
requirement that has not been included in the existing regulations.[1]
2002: GOSATOMNADZOR LICENSING PROCESS LARGELY COMPLETE
Under the law On Atomic Energy,
organizations that possess radioactive isotopes must hold a license issued by
Gosatomnadzor. The licensing process was initiated in 1998. By the end of
2001, 2121 of 2473 organizations possessing such isotopes had licenses. The
remaining 4% were chiefly new and reorganized organizations (260 had already
applied but not yet received licenses by the end of that year).
12/7/2000: NEW LEGISLATION EXPECTED TO REDUCE
GOSATOMNADZOR NUCLEAR LICENSING AUTHORITY
As reported by Nucleonics Week on 7 December
2000, Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom) representatives dismissed
accusations that they are attempting to reduce the regulatory power of Gosatomnadzor
(GAN) through their proposed amendments to the 1995 Atomic Energy Act. The amendments
would essentially remove all GAN licensing authority over Russian nuclear power
plant operations and leave it only the responsibility for safety
inspections. GAN Chairman Yuriy Vishnevskiy called for help to prevent
passage of the amendments, claiming that Minatom was retaliating for GAN's
strict requirements for licensing the operation of Russian reactors that were
beyond their design lives. Minatom representatives claim that the
legislation will better delineate the jurisdiction between the two
organizations, with Minatom controlling the nuclear industry and GAN providing
outside safety supervision.
7/18/98: GOSATOMNADZOR CARRIES OUT 205 INSPECTIONS
IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1998
According to an 18 July 1998 article in Vechernyaya
Moskva, Gosatomnadzor inspected 20 research reactors, 18 critical assemblies,
and 18 sub-critical assemblies during the first six months of 1998. The
total number of inspections for that period was 205. The inspections resulted
in 221 reprimands, of which 66 concerned nuclear safety, 32 radiation safety,
61 technology, and 38 nuclear material protection, control and accounting.
11/30/96: GOSATOMNADZOR FREEZES
Gosatomnadzor is experiencing a severe financial
crisis. It owes more than $137 million and as a result has lost its communication
line, including the Iskra system that ties it with the nuclear power plant.
11/95: GOSATOMNADZOR SUPERVISES VARIOUS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
Gosatomnadzor oversees 21 Russian nuclear related
enterprises, including twelve production enterprises, eight scientific
research organizations and the commerce enterprise Izotop.
9/15/95: EDICT TRANSFERS INSPECTION RESPONSIBILITIES
FROM GOSATOMNADZOR TO MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
Presidential Decree No. 350 of 7/26/95, transferring
nuclear inspection responsibilities from Gosatomnadzor to the Ministry
of Defense entered into force. Gosatomnadzor will no longer inspect military
nuclear facilities, or oversee the storage and recycling of nuclear weapons
and radioactive waste of the Ministry of Defense. Yuriy Vishnevskiy, Chairman
of Gosatomnadzor, spoke against this decision since military nuclear facilities
on Russian Federation territory present the greatest danger of an accident.
Issues of the highest concern are spent fuel at the Pacific Fleet and the
nuclear weapons being shipped back to Russia from Ukraine and Belarus.
The Russian Security Council's Interdepartmental Commission on Environmental
Protection objects to the decision, as it takes control over nuclear and
radioactive safety from civil state institutions and concentrates power
in the hands of one military agency.
9/15/95: GOSATOMNADZOR FEARS LOSS OF CONTROL OVER
FACILITIES
Gosatomnadzor Chairman Yuriy Vishnevskiy reportedly
told Izvestiya that his organization is concerned with its loss
of supervision over military nuclear facilities. Vishnevskiy stated that
Russia's military nuclear facilities pose a serious threat, and if "anything
is going to explode in our country" in the near future, "that is where
it will be."
7/26/95: DIRECTIVE STATES THAT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
AGAIN HAS CONTROL OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES MONITORING
President Yeltsin signed Presidential Directive No.
350-rp, "Questions of State Supervision of Nuclear and Radiation Safety"
and "Amendments and Additions to the Statute on the Russian Federal Inspectorate
for Nuclear and Radiation Safety." This Presidential Directive provided
Gosatomnadzor the mandate to supervise industry safety "during the production,
handling, and utilization for peaceful and defense purposes of nuclear
power, nuclear materials, radioactive substances, and articles based on
radioactive substances." Gosatomnadzor was stripped of its power to supervise
safety measures over the development, production, testing, and deployment
of nuclear weapons and military nuclear power plants; this power was given
to the Ministry of Defense. The Government Commission for the Comprehensive
Resolution of Nuclear Weapons Problems was given the power to coordinate
nuclear and radiation safety efforts by all involved federal executive
bodies. Before the 7/26/95 Presidential Directive, Gosatomnadzor was charged
with formulating and implementing nuclear-related safety regulations for
both the civilian and military nuclear industries. It reported directly
to the president. It has been claimed that since 12/91, when Presidential
Decree No. 137 put Gosatomnadzor in charge of nuclear safety of both civilian
and military nuclear complexes, the Ministry of Defense sabotaged the implementation
of interdepartmental supervision of nuclear safety by Gosatomnadzor.
8/95: MINATOM HAS NOT GIVEN GOSATOMNADZOR REQUESTED
INFORMATION
According to one Gosatomnadzor official, at present
the organization still does not have a detailed inventory list of Minatom's
nuclear resources.
12/94: GAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FUEL-CYCLE INSPECTIONS
Responsibility for fuel-cycle related activities
was transferred from Minatom to Gosatomnadzor. Areas of responsibility,
as of 12/94, were still being delineated between the two organizations.
5/13/94: GAN REPORT CLAIMS RUSSIA IS UNAWARE OF
ALL NUCLEAR MATERIAL
Gosatomnadzor's annual report indicated that Russia
does not know the amount and the location of all of its nuclear materials.
The report stated, "It needs to be stated that there is no state system
of control and accounting of nuclear materials in Russia . . . Information
about thefts of nuclear materials were partially drawn from press reports,
and are not exhaustive."
1994: DECREE GIVES GAN MC&A INSPECTION
RIGHTS
Presidential Decree (No. 1923 of 15 September 1994,
entitled "Urgent Measures for the Improvement of the Nuclear Material Accounting
and Safeguards System"[2]) gives GAN the responsibility to establish an
effective system of material control and accounting (MC&A) in the Russian
Federation. A fairly sophisticated system of MC&A existed under the
Soviet system, and had been carried out by the Ministry of Defense and
the Ministry of Medium Machine Building.
9/16/93: GOSATOMNADZOR POWER EXTENDED TO OVERSEE
POWER REACTORS AND NAVAL WEAPONS
A Presidential Directive No. 636-rp gave Gosatomnadzor
oversight powers over nuclear power reactors and naval nuclear weapons.
The Directive was issued to reinforce the 12/31/91 Presidential Decree
which transferred overall oversight responsibilities over the nuclear complex
from the Ministry of Defense to Gosatomnadzor.
7/93: GAN WILL REDUCE NUMBER OF SUPERVISION COMMITTEES
The State Committee of the Russian Federation for
Supervision over the Safety of Work in Nuclear Power Engineering (Gosatomnadzor)
was notified that its supervising staff will be reduced to 12-13 people.
The supervision committee inspects power stations, issues permits for the
operation of power units, and stops power blocks if necessary. This is
the third reduction in the committee during the month of July.
4/9/93: DIRECTIVE ORDERS GAN TO SURVEY
MILITARY ENTERPRISES
A new Presidential Directive set out the task for
Gosatomnadzor to survey enterprises, organizations, and military units
of the Russian Defense Ministry with a view to checking the provisions
of nuclear and radiation safety by 12/93. Thus far, previous directives
have not been carried out.
6/5/92: GOSATOMNADZOR PERMITTED TO CONDUCT NUCLEAR
INSPECTION
Presidential Directive No. 283-rp approved
the Statute on the Russian Federation State Committee for the Supervision
of Nuclear and Radiation Safety, giving Gosatomnadzor (GAN) the right to
conduct inspections at military nuclear facilities, nuclear submarines,
and army nuclear weapon depots.
12/31/91: DECREE GIVES NUCLEAR RESPONSIBILITY
TO GOSATOMNADZOR
Russian Presidential Decree No.137 granted Gosatomnadzor
(GAN) oversight responsibilities over all Russian nuclear enterprises and
organizations, including defense-related facilities.
12/3/91:
DECREE CREATES GAN
Gosatomnadzor was established by Presidential Decree
No. 249.
For information on the Federal Atomic Energy Agency (former Ministry of Atomic Energy),
please see the Federal Atomic Energy Agency section.
Page last updated 14 October 2008
For major developments, see the
General Nuclear Weapons Developments file.
Comments or questions? E-mail Anya Loukianova.
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