National Atomic Energy Agency

The mission was conducted on September 3-15 at the request of the Government of Poland. It was hosted by the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA).

A team consisting of fifteen experts from fourteen countries, four staff members from the IAEA and one observer from the European Commission reviewed the regulatory oversight of existing nuclear facilities, activities with ionizing radiation against IAEA safety standards.

Over the past two weeks, the international experts have held a series of meetings and discussions with staff from offices responsible for nuclear safety and radiation protection, in particular the PAA. Members of the IRRS Mission have also accompanied experts from the National Atomic Energy Agency during oversight inspections conducted at the MARIA research nuclear reactor, the Radioactive Waste Management Plant, and at a medical facility and an industrial facility that use ionizing radiation. The team has also held meetings with representatives of institutions other than the PAA that are part of the system of nuclear safety and radiation protection. Experts from the IRRS Mission have spoken, among others, with representatives of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, the National Center for Radiological Protection in Health Care and the Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Warsaw. They have also met with representatives of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration and the Office of Technical Inspection.  The talks were preceded by a self-assessment of the legal framework and oversight activities in the area of nuclear safety and radiation protection in Poland carried out by the PAA and other institutions competent in this area.

The Mission Team appreciated, among others, the PAA's preparation to date for tasks arising from the Polish Nuclear Power Programme. The agency will oversee the construction of nuclear power plants in the country.

­­­- This is a major milestone for Poland, which has been considering a nuclear power programme for many years. The PAA's commitment to safety, as demonstrated throughout this second IRRS mission, is essential to ensuring that any nuclear power plants built in Poland are operated safely and securely - said Mike King, Deputy Office Director for Reactor Safety Programs and Mission Support at U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the IRRS Team Leader. - I would like to express my appreciation to the international team of experts who conducted this very thorough review. Their findings show that the PAA is a competent regulatory body with dedicated staff who are committed to meet the highest safety standards.

The IRRS team considers that the main challenge for Poland is to implement robust measures to ensure that the PAA is effectively independent and continues to be properly resourced. Additionally, the foreign experts identified several recommendations and suggestions for the government. According to the IRRS Mission, it is necessary to:

• ensure the availability of financial resources to enable the timely decommissioning of research reactors;
• improve coordination and cooperation between different regulatory authorities with responsibilities for facilities and activities in Poland;
• employ additional medical physicists for ensuring radiation protection in medical treatments using ionizing radiation;
• make changes to issued licenses for activities with ionizing radiation - President of the PAA should be able to make changes to these licenses on his own initiative, without the consent of the licensee – the IRRS Mission believes.

The team also added recommendations for the PAA, including the need to establish an integrated, overarching human resources development plan and to identify the financial resources necessary for its implementation.

International experts identified a good practice and achievements of the PAA and the Sanitary Inspectorate. The ALEP (Advanced Licensing Exercise Project) conducted by the PAA in 2018 - 2019 was considered a good practice. This was a simulation of the analysis of a nuclear power plant construction license application, carried out with the participation of international experts.

The IRRS mission also recognized:

• the training of 300 Regional Sanitary Inspectorates staff on how to effectively inform the public on radon related issues;
• the communication strategy of the PAA in relation to the armed conflict in Ukraine;
• the PAA-led development of radiation monitoring – the installation of thirty additional radiation monitoring stations close to Eastern border of Poland.

- We would like to thank the IRRS team for their intensive work during last two weeks, the results of which will help us to further enhance the overall effectiveness of the regulatory system in Poland - said Andrzej Głowacki, President of the PAA.

The final mission report will be provided to the PAA in about three months. It will be published at the website of the National Atomic Energy Agency. This was the second IRRS mission to Poland. The first one was organized in 2013.

The IAEA news on the IRRS Mission in Poland: LINK