2015-10-22 1

Annual Meeting for the International Working forum on Regulatory Supervision of

Uranium Legacy Sites

22-24 October 2013, Vienna, Austria

.

Regulatory Challenges at Legacy Sites in

Kazakhstan

A.Kim – Atomic Energy Committee,

Republic of Kazakhstan

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Content

1. Radioactive legacy sites in Kazakhstan

2. Regulatory system

3. Cooperation with NRPA

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Radioactive Legacy Sites in Kazakhstan

In a sense that a legacy site is a facility with an owner who can not complete decommissioning work for technical or financial reasons there are following legacy sites in Kazakhstan:

All nuclear sites (power and research reactors, fuel production plant).

Abandoned sites of uranium mining and milling industry as well as operating enterprises inherited RW from Soviet time period.

Abandoned sites of mining and milling of commercial minerals containing radioactive elements as well as operating enterprises inherited RW from Soviet time period.

Nuclear explosion sites.

Oil-gas-fields territories contaminated in the past period with oil-slurries, equipment, pipes, etc.

Thus, the majority of the enterprises currently generating radioactive wastes in Kazakhstan can be considered like legacy sites.

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Kazakhstan Nuclear Sites

IRS & E

IAE NNC

INP

ASTANA

ALMATY

Kurchatov

Ust-Kamenogorsk

Aktau

BN-350 reactor

Ulba metallurgical plant

Impuls graphite reactor

VVR-K research reactor

Baikal-1” research reactors complex

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Nuclear Reactors

All five reactors produced 14.5 thousand tons of low-

and intermediate-level radioactive waste with the

activity of 421 thousand Curie and 450 tons of high-

level radioactive waste with the activity of 1.9 million

Curie.

There are 5 reactors on the territory of Kazakhstan. One

power reactor is located in Aktau-city, 3 research reactors -

at the Semipalatinsk Test Site and one research reactor – in

Almaty.

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Fuel fabrication plant Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Ust-

Kamenogorsk-city (Western Kazakhstan)

Produced pellets for nuclear fuel used in

Russian design reactors

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Uranium mining and milling industry More than 80 thousand tons of uranium were

mined in Kazakhstan by the military-industrial

complex of the former USSR.

The total amount of low-level radioactive waste

makes up 223 million tons with the activity over

9.3 PBq, or 251 thousand Curie. The waste is

stored at 146 sites of 34 square km area.

The currently operating enterprises possess qualified staff. Observance of all the standards and

regulations ensures the safe level of radiation both for the population and workers, but the

waste accumulated at these enterprises for the previous decades of their operation now

requires enormous investments to maintain its safe storage and/or disposal.

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Management of RW of the Former Uranium Mines of

Kazakhstan

• At present the basic works on rehabilitation of the territories of the former uranium mines in RK are performed within the framework of the national budget program No. 008 approved by the RK Government “Temporary Shutdown and Winding-up of the Former Uranium Mines, and Storage of Industrial Waste”.

• This Program envisages the winding-up and rehabilitation of the territories of the former uranium mines, remediation of the territories and safe storage of waste of the uranium enterprises, as well the cleansing of the environment.

• By present time 67 sites of the former uranium and geological exploration industry have been remediated.

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Typical Remediation Measures

Protection of the remediated site at former mine No.8 in Zaozerny settlement (Stepnogorsk-city).

The foothill of remediated rock pile at "Vostochny" mine with 2000 tons of radioactive metals makes it unavailable for excavation and secondary use.

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Non-Uranium mining industry

As a rule, till present time at the

non-uranium mining and processing

enterprises the places for storage of

the bulk radioactive waste have not

been designed.

The examinations of the oil-gas-

fields territories detect the

radioactively contaminated soils, oil-

slurries, equipment, pipes (mainly

with Ra-226 and Th-232) that is

connected with the long effect of oil

waters enriched with natural

radionuclides.

The implemented examinations of only the territories of

Mangistaus and Atyraus oblasts have detected 1.3 million

m3 of radioactive waste and 650 hectares of the

contaminated area of over 1 Sv/h surface dose rate.

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Nuclear explosions

Nuclear explosions were carried out on the

territory of Kazakhstan at the

Semipalatinsk Test Site with the area of

18.5 thousand km2 , at the test sites of

Azgir, Lira and others from 1949 to 1989.

The exposure dose rate at the “Opytnoe Pole”

site caused by the presence of gamma-emitting

radionuclides Cs-137, Eu-152 and Co-60

reaches, in the extreme points, 8,000-10,000

R/h (the natural background is 10-25 R/h),

and at the Balapan site – up to 500-1,000 R/h.

At the places of surface nuclear explosions the

concentrations of plutonium isotopes reach the

values of 28,000 Bq/kg, at the sites of

excavation explosions – 3,222,000 Bq/kg.

The areas where the annual exposure dose

over 1 mSv can be gained make up about

1,800 km2.

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Using of radioisotopes

Annualy in Kazahstan

used over 25,000

radioactive sources in

research, industry and

medicine

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The storage facility on the “Baykal-1” site Storage facility is located at the complex

of research reactors Baikal-1 (former

Semipalatinsk test site).

This is a commercial storage facility for

spent sealed sources which accepts spent

sealed sources from any Kazakhstan

enterprises.

>40000 spent sealed sources with

A~3·1015 Bq have been accepted to date.

Type of facility: reinforced concrete

vaults (see pictures).

Operated from 1995. Design life – 50

years.

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Location of RW on the territory of Kazakhstan

Total amount of Radioactive Wastes

RW Thousands

tons

Curie

Total,

including:

237,197 15,486,900

High level 0.45 1,900,000

Medium level 6532,5 13,165,850

Low level 230,663 295,050

Regulatory system

• Legislation

• Regulatory body

• State system for regulation

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Legislation

• Law on Atomic Energy Use ( April 14, 1997)

• Law on Radiation Safety of Population (April 23,

1998)

• Law on licensing (January 11, 2007)

• Ecology code (January9, 2007)

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International Convention and agreements

Republic of Kazakhstan joined such international treaties and conventions:

• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,

• Convention on Nuclear Safety,

• Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

• Convection on Physical Protection

Thus, Republic of Kazakhstan took obligation to execute the International requirements of safe atomic energy use.

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Regulations

• Norms of Radiation Safety (NRB-99) developed in Russian Federation was accepted in 1999

• Regulation for Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials was elaborated on the base of IAEA Transport Regulation, 1996 Edition No. TS-R-1 (1.031999)

• Hygienic regulations “Sanitary–Epidemiological requirements to

Radiation Safety Assurance”, Government Decree №201 - 3.02.2012,

• Sanitary rules “Sanitary–Epidemiological requirements to

Radiation Safety Assurance”, Government Decree №202 - 3.02.2012,

• Sanitary rules “Sanitary–Epidemiological requirements to

Radiation Dangerous Facilities”, Government Decree №308,

11.03.2012,

Cont.

During 2009-2013 were elaborated and adopted:

• Regulation for Nuclear and radiation Safety – 30.07.2010

• Regulation for NPP safety – 1.07.2010

• Regulation for Research reactors safety – 1.07.2010

• Qualification requirements for licensing in the field of atomic

energy use -10.07.2013

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Regulatory body

Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Committee (KAEC)

KAEC was established in September 1992 and is responsible for:

• Realization of State Policy in the field of safely atomic energy use.

• State control of nuclear, radioactive and special non-nuclear

materials, dual-use goods. Providing Regime of Non Proliferation

of Nuclear Weapons, nuclear and radiation safety during peaceful

use of atomic energy

• Export and import control of nuclear materials, technologies,

equipment, special non-nuclear materials, dual-use goods and

equipment, radioactive sources and isotope goods.

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• Development of acts, regulations, standards, rules in

the field of atomic energy use.

• Licensing all types of activities in the field of atomic

energy use.

• Providing and coordination of co-operation of

Kazakhstan institutions with IAEA and other

international organizations in the field of atomic

energy use.

• Emergency preparedness.

KAEC Structure

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Chairman

Deputy chairman Deputy chairman

Supervision &

analysis division

Licensing division

Information division

TC division

Finance & planning

division

Administrative

division

Atomic energy

division

Atomic industry

division

Scientific &

technical research

division

Safeguard & material

control division

Nuclear security

division

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State Structure for Atomic Energy Use Regulations

• The Ministry of Health with its sanitary-epidemiological stations provides medical services necessary for protection of public and employees at risk. It is responsible in context of its competence for regulating and inspecting manufacture, use, storage, transport of nuclear materials and radioactive sources. It also carries out accounting for all radioactive sources and gives the permission to work with sources, renders the medical help to personal, which works with nuclear materials.

• The Ministry of Environmental Protection is responsible for protection of the environment against radioactive contamination. It co-ordinates a work on study of the radiation situation in Kazakhstan and executes the State ecological examination of projects.

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Others Ministries and Departments of the Republic of Kazakhstan with their responsibility are following:

– The Ministry of Industry and new technologies is responsible for coordination of all activity in the field of atomic energy use.

– The Ministry of Internal Affairs verifies and physical protection standards of all facilities which use atomic energy or in which radioactive wastes are managed.

– The Ministry of Emergency Situations is responsible for monitoring of compliance with measures on prevention of emergency situation and sets out measures to protect public against radiation exposure in the event of such situation. Industrial Safety Committee is responsible for regulation of industrial equipment in Industry and Mines

State Structure for Atomic Energy Use Regulations

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President

Parliament

Government

Ministry of Industry &

New Technologies Ministry of

Health

Ministry of

Environment

protection

Ministry of

Emergency Situation

Other …

Atomic

Energy

committee

Industrial Safety

Committee

Sanitary

Epidemiology

Service

National Nuclear

Centre Nuclear Physics

Institute

Geophysical

Research Institute Park of

Nuclear

Technologies

Hydromet

National Atomic Company

Kazatomprom

JSC Volkovgeology

Institute of High

Technology

Branch

Laboratories

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Authorization.

KAEC provides authorization by means of licensing.

• Licensing procedure is conducted in accordance with basic requirements for different types of activity.

• The licenses are issuing without time limit, but conditions for validity are limited.

• License is valid for detailed types of activity. Each license has some juridical limits and conditions, which should be fulfilled by the company. (emergency procedures, changes in staff, annual reports and etc).

• All data on types of activity, date and number of a license issue, full address and contact details, some other records, reports are kept in computerized database of the KAEC, and as hard copies.

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During the period 1998-2013 about 3000 licenses were issued.

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Inspections • KAEC provides inspections for all types of nuclear activity.

Inspections plan includes number of inspections, list of organizations and list of inspectors. As results of inspection a report on observations should be prepared. This document should include status of radiation safety, some measurements, list of remarks and violations, etc. Report on inspection implementation and main conclusions is sent for approval to Deputy Chairman.

• Enforcement. In accordance with the Law of Licensing KAEC has power to stop or cancel any license, if company violates conditions of license, rules, or if a company hides some data or gives incorrect data. During last 4 years there were stopped 10 licenses. Duration of stopping is maximum 6 months. If a company does not eliminate , license will be cancelled through special legal procedures in a court.

Activity on modernization of legal documents

• New version of Regulation for Safe Transport of Radioactive

Materials

• Regulation on Physical protection of nuclear materials and

installations

• Regulation on preparation of QA program for PP nuclear

entities

• Regulation on preparation of QA program for A&C of

nuclear materials and radiation sources

• Regulation on emergency response during transportation of

NM

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Nearly plan

To elaborate:

– Criteria and hygiene standards for rehabilitation of

territories contaminated with radionuclides

– Regulations for radiation safety of personnel and

population who will use of rahabilitated territories,

buildings etc.

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Cont.

To prepare :

– proposals for elaboration of National strategy on

Radioactive waste management which should

include appropriate technologies, RW

categorization and criteria for RW disposal.

– Proposals for new classification of RW in

accordance with international practice.

– Draft of RW disposal regulation for each category.

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Collaboration with NRPA

KAEC has an important cooperation agreement with the NRPA whose key objectives is

to identify and draft relevant regulatory requirements to ensure protection of personnel,

population and the environments during planning and conducting of works for nuclear

legacy management in Kazakhstan. This is being achieved by:

Conducting a Regulatory Threat Assessment to determine the specific

priorities for development of regulatory guidance in relation to RW

management with particular consideration given to storage and final disposal.

Development of a draft RW management strategy for RK, including the

identification of relevant RW categories and criteria for the RW disposal in

Kazakhstan.

Development of Draft Regulatory Document “Rules for Radioactive Waste

Disposal in the Republic of Kazakhstan”.

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Cont.

In the framework of this ongoing collaboration, Regulatory Threat

Assessment has been developed.

The new RW classification has been suggested for Kazakhstan in

compliance with the IAEA recommendations, taking into account the

international practice and the current situation in the Republic of

Kazakhstan.

The concept of RW management strategy in the Republic of

Kazakhstan has been developed and proposed.

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Cont.

It is necessary to develop and adopt requirements for designing of RW disposal facilities and

selection of sites for them, requirements for construction, operation and decommissioning and

closure of RW disposal facilities, as well as requirements for conduction of institutional control

over RW disposal facilities.

It is necessary to develop quantitative criteria defining both the levels of interference in

ecological situation and a need to start rehabilitation of contaminated territories; it is also

necessary to develop criteria for and hygienic standards on rehabilitation of territories

contaminated with radionuclides, which could ensure socially acceptable guarantees of

radiation safety for the inhabitants of the contaminated territories.

It is necessary to develop regulations to ensure radiation safety for personnel and public at

further use of territories, buildings and structures after their rehabilitation. For that, criteria

should be developed for the levels of residual contamination of a territory with radioactive

substances for several, most probable options of its use after rehabilitation, for example, the

territories of unrestricted use; the territories of restricted use as an industrial installation dealt

with radioactive materials; the territories of restricted use as an industrial installation working

without application of radioactive materials.

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Thank you for your attention!