National Atomic Energy Agency

In recent days, nuclear safety has been one of the hottest topics in media coverage and the public domain. A lot is being said about the role of nuclear safety, albeit, sadly, in the context of the Russian Federation on Ukraine, especially the Russian actions against nuclear facilities and materials. 

The Agency continuously monitors radiation levels in Poland – we have not noted any worrying readings of the PMS stations. We are also in constant contact with foreign nuclear regulatory authorities and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We have access to international PMS stations. We wish to calm people down – currently in Poland there is no threat to health and life.

Inspection of nuclear facilities and activities which use radioactive sources, licensing, radiation monitoring – are but a few tasks of the Agency’s everyday work. Our mission is to guarantee that any activities that may cause exposure to ionizing radiation must be conducted in a way that is safe for the personnel, society and the environment. In a short film, we show how things work in practice – here it is!

The pictures for the film have been taken at the premises of the National Centre for Nuclear Research (“Maria” Reactor and the Radioisotope Centre POLATOM), at the National Radioactive Waste Repository, at the National Oncology Institute and the Forestry of Terespol – thank you so much for your assistance!

27 February 1982 is a significant date in the history of the Polish atomic energy. On that day, the Polish Parliament passed a law establishing the National Atomic Energy Agency – which came into force on 9 March 1982, which is the official date of the Agency’s inception. In the beginning, the Agency supervised activities involving radioactive sources indirectly, e.g. through the then supervised Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection (CLOR).

The definitions of the state supervision of nuclear safety and radiological protection first appeared in the Nuclear Law, which came into force in July 1986. The President of the National Atomic Energy Agency, Chief Nuclear Regulatory Inspector and nuclear regulatory inspectors were tasked with nuclear regulatory matters. 

Since 1992, the National Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection Inspectorate, which in 1997 was incorporated in the PAA, have been inspecting activities involving ionizing radiation. From 1997 to 2021, PAA inspectors, today working in the Radiological Protection Department and Nuclear Safety Department, conducted more than 20 000 regulatory inspections in total. In 2005, the Radiation Emergency Centre (CEZAR) was formed within PAA, which is a contact point in emergency and is in charge of the radiation monitoring in Poland.

The Nuclear Law amended in 2000, established the President of the National Atomic Energy Agency as a central governmental authority in charge of nuclear safety and radiological protection. In 2009, the Council of Ministers passed a resolution on nuclear energy development activities, and 2014 – the Polish Nuclear Energy Programme. PAA plays a key role in the Programme, which is to supervise all stages of the construction of nuclear plants in Poland. Since then, the Agency has been preparing for this role through training and on-the-job training. In 2015, PAA began On-the-Job Training Project in co-operation with foreign nuclear regulatory authorities. In 2018, upon the Agency’s initiative, Advanced Licensing Exercise Project (ALEP) workshops started. The participants performed a simulation of the assessment of the safety of nuclear plants and licensing their construction in Poland. This year, the Agency’s staff have the opportunity to participate in e.g. 3-month long on-the-job-training in the US at the construction site of reactors 3 and 4 at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. 

Given the seriousness of the situation in Ukraine, we have decided not to celebrate our jubilee. The celebration of the 40th Anniversary of PAA has been postponed. Nevertheless, we have prepared a short film, which gives us a closer look at the activities of our staff and the history of the Agency. The film was made with the great involvement of our staff before the Russian military operations started in Ukraine.