National Atomic Energy Agency

The IRRS report is the result of a two-week review mission, which was carried out between September 4-15, 2023, at the invitation of the Polish government. The IRRS mission team, consisting of fifteen experts from fourteen countries, four staff from the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) and an observer from the European Commission, reviewed nuclear regulatory oversight of existing nuclear facilities, ionizing radiation activities against IAEA safety standards and preparations for oversight of the construction and operation of nuclear power plants in Poland. This was the second IRRS Mission - the first one took place in 2013, while an IRRS Follow-up mission was carried out in 2017.

The Mission was hosted by the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) with participation of other institutions of the nuclear safety and radiological protection system in Poland: the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, the National Center for Radiological Protection in Health Care and the Provincial Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Warsaw. Additionally, the Mission was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Interior and Administration and the Office of Technical Inspection. Members of the IRRS Mission also accompanied nuclear inspectors of the National Atomic Energy Agency during regulatory inspections carried out at the MARIA nuclear research reactor, the Radioactive Waste Disposal Plant, a medical facility and an industrial facility using ionizing radiation.

The IRRS report states that the main challenge in Poland is to adopt solutions that ensure the PAA's independence in making safety-related decisions and adequate resources. The foreign experts also identified several recommendations and suggestions for the government. According to the IRRS Mission, there is a need for:

• ensuring the availability of financial resources enabling timely decommissioning of research reactors;

• improving coordination and cooperation among regulatory authorities engaged in oversight of national nuclear facilities and activities using ionizing radiation;

• hiring additional medical physicists to provide protection during medical procedures using ionizing radiation;

• introducing changes to the scope of issued licenses for activities involving ionizing radiation - the PAA’s President should be able to introduce changes to these licenses on his own initiative, without the consent of the license holder - the IRRS Mission believes.

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

International experts pointed out good practice and areas of good performance of the PAA. The ALEP (Advanced Licensing Exercise Project) project conducted by the PAA in 2018-2019 was considered good practice. It was a simulation of the assessment of an application for a license to construct a nuclear power plant, performed with the participation of international experts.

The IRRS mission also recognized:

• training 300 employees of provincial sanitary inspectorates in effective information to the public about the issue of radon;

• the PAA’s activities in the area of communication undertaken in connection with the war in Ukraine;

• development of radiation monitoring led by the PAA - installation of thirty additional radiation monitoring stations near Poland's eastern border in recent years.

The IRRS mission report is available on the PAA’s website [TUTAJ] and on the IAEA website [TUTAJ]