Safety Review

Legal Framework for Safety Review

Safety review (safety analysis review) in respect to the nuclear facilities and (or) the licensed types of activities in the field of use of atomic energy (hereinafter to be referred to as - the safety review) is considered as the component of the licensing procedure that is performed by Rostechnadzor in reference to the activities in the field of use of atomic energy in the Russian Federation and which is stipulated by the Federal law No. FZ-170 “On the Use of Atomic Energy”.

In correspondence with the Federal law No. FZ-170 “The subject of the safety review shall be the analysis of conformity of the documents submitted by the applicant in order to obtain a license and justifying safety ensuring of the nuclear facilities and (or) types of activity in the field of the use of atomic energy, and (or) actual condition of the nuclear facilities to the Russian legislation, codes and regulations in the field of the use of atomic energy and the-state-of-the-art.” (Article 26 “Permits (Licenses) to Engage in Work in the Field of the Use of Atomic Energy”).

Safety review of nuclear facilities in respect of which the Government of the Russian Federation has established the regime of permanent state supervision (in the correspondence with the Executive Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 610-r dated of April 23,2012) and (or) types of activities in the field of the use of atomic energy undertaken by the operating organizations at such facilities or in respect to such facilities, are performed by organizations of technical and scientific support (TSO) for Rostechnadzor. As of May 14, 2015 the organizations of technical and scientific support for Rostechnadzor include the Scientific and Engineering Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SEC NRS) and FSUE VO “Safety”.

Organizational Framework for Safety Review

Organization and implementation of safety review is defined by the following regulatory and legal acts:

• “Provision on Licensing Activities in the Field of Atomic Energy Use” (approved by Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 280 dated of March 29, 2013);
• “Provision on Assignment of a Legal Entity to Scientific and Technical Support Organization of the Authorized Body for State Regulation of Safety at Atomic Energy Use” (enacted by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No.387 dated of April 30, 2013);
• “Administrative Regulations for the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service on Execution its State Function for Licensing the Activities in the Field of Atomic Energy Use” (approved by Order of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service No. 453 dated of October 08, 2014 that is registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation No. 36496, dated of March 20, 2015) (hereinafter to be referred to as Administrative Regulations).
• “Provision on Safety Review (Safety Analysis Review) Procedure of Nuclear Facilities and (or) Types of Activities in the Field of Use of Atomic Energy” (approved by Order of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service No. 160 dated of April 21, 2014 which is registered by Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation № 33238, dated of July 23, 2014).
• “Methodology for Determining the Amount of Charges for Carrying Out of Safety Review” (safety analysis review) in respect to the nuclear facilities and (or) the types of activities in the field of use of atomic energy and maximum payment for safety review of a thematic issue included into Technical Assignment for implementation of safety review (safety analysis review) in respect to the nuclear facilities and (or) the types of activities in the field of use of atomic energy (approved by Order of the Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service No. 114 dated of March 24, 2014).

  Purposes of Safety Review

  In considering documentation submitted to obtain license (including through the implementation of safety review), the following is to be examined:

  1. design, engineering and process engineering solutions compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and the requirements of the federal regulations and rules adopted in the sphere of use of atomic energy as well as conformity with the established requirements with regard to conditions for safe management with radioactive waste when implementing the licensed type of activity;
  2. completeness of technical and administration measures aimed at safety provision at implementation of the licensed type of activity;
  3. compliance with the requirements for safety provision in relation to the relevant storage conditions and organization of nuclear materials, radioactive substances and radioactive waste accounting and control, physical protection of nuclear facilities, radiation sources and storage facilities for radioactive materials and radioactive substances and radioactive waste storage facilities; meeting the requirements for safety ensuring in respect to the schedule of measures directed at protection of population and personnel of a nuclear facility in case of accident origination and the preparedness to implement such measures together with the system on quality assuring and the required engineering and technical assistance in respect to the licensed type of activity;
  4. capability of a licence applicant to provide the conditions for safe implementation of the licensed type of activity, the safety of a nuclear facility and activities under realization along with the quality of activities carried out and the services rendered which meet the federal regulations and rules in the sphere of the use of atomic energy;
  5. availability of the appropriate respective forces and means and their preparedness to eliminate the emergency situations in case of nuclear and radiation accident origination at a nuclear facility;
  6. capability of a licence applicant to provide for safe termination of the licensed type of activity and decommissioning a nuclear facility together with availability of the appropriate design documentation.

  Selection of Expert Review Organization and Preparation of Contract

  Under the provisions of the Federal law “On the Use of Atomic Energy (para. 10 of Article 26), the review shall be conducted at the expense of the licence applicant or licensee (hereinafter to be referred to as the Applicant). Safety review, therefore, is to be implemented on the basis of a service contract concluded between the Applicant and the expert review organization in pursuance of the provisions of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Articles 421, 423–424) and other requirements provided by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

  The deadline for the services fulfillment is considered as one of the most significant conditions of such contract. Upon that, in the correspondence with the Administration Regulations (para. 71), the expert review performance time limits (that are specified by the Technical Assignment for the expert review), shall be established depending on the scope of the license application related documents submitted to Rostechnadzor, as specified by the requirements of para. 17 (2) of the Administration Regulations, and by reference to the potential nuclear and radiation hazard of a nuclear facility and (or) of a declared activity. According to the Administration Regulations context, the expert review Technical Assignment presents information concerned with the duration of the expert review, but not works completion deadline, as the latter one regarded to be the timeframes for execution of works (services fulfillment) – is considered as the obligation of the expert review organization within the frames of contract concluded with the licence applicant or licensee.

  When selecting the expert review organization, the Applicant is recommended to adhere to the following consistency of actions:

  • having received notification about Rostechnadzor decision on the acceptance for consideration of the application and the enclosed substantiating documents, the expert review organizations are to be provided ( for the cases determined by the Federal law No.170-FZ “On the Use of Atomic Energy” – the organizations of technical and scientific support for Rostechnadzor; see Section “Legal framework for safety review”) with the technical and commercial offer on safety review conducting supported by the copy of the Technical Assignment for the expert review duly approved by Rostechnadzor;
  • implementation of the appropriate measures on selection of safety review performer (tenders, etc.) on the grounds of the technical and commercial offers collected;
  • presentation of a letter to the expert review organization with the purpose of its notification as it is selected to carry out safety review and presentation of proposals to conclude the contract (followed with the documentary evidence of the selection carried out which include the tenders’ results);
  • presentation of a letter to Rostechnadzor in order to inform about the expert review organization selected and requesting Rostechnadzor to provide this organization with Technical Assignment and set of documents considered as the subject to the safety review.

  Contact persons regarding the safety review implementation

  Averyanov Alexey Vyacheslavovich, Head of Safety Review Division of SEC NRS, +7 (499) 753-05-91;
  Makhankov Evgeny Georgievich, Deputy Head of Safety Review Division of SEC NRS, +7 (499) 753-05-91.