Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) hosted the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority representatives. The guests together with experts of the ANRA and Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center will visit the ANPP, «Radioactive Waste Storage Facility» CJSC, and some healthcare organizations providing radiation therapy. As a result of the visit, a Memorandum of cooperation and mutual understanding between the regulatory bodies of Armenia and Sweden will be prepared. «Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center» CJSC will cooperate with the Swedish Regulatory Authority in the areas of radioactive waste management, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy, as well as training and retraining of specialists.
Leading specialist on radiation safety from NRSC Arpi Khachatryan participated in the Technical Meeting held in Vienna, where a discussion was held on the potential effects of introducing new operational quantities and units of external radiation measurements, presented in the 95th Report of the Implications of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU). Issues discussed included the benefits of introducing new metrics, implementation challenges, and the time needed to adopt them. In her speech, Arpi Khachatryan referred to the challenges in the field of radiation safety that small countries like Armenia face. NRSC continues its active participation in international discussions and is committed to being an active player in supporting the development of radiation protection standards.
Representative of NRSC participated in the international workshop regarding the exchange of experiences on the topics of Radioactive Waste Management and the handling of orphan radioactive sources for the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The workshop was part of the project “Support of the BMUV within the Framework of International Cooperation in the Field of Radioactive Waste Management in Eastern Europe” with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz, BMUV). During the workshop, the NRSC representative presented a report on the Armenian experience in the detection and handling of radioactive sources.
The representative of the NRSC radiation safety team participated in the prestigious 65th annual meeting of the «Institute of Nuclear Materials Management», this time held in Portland, USA, from 22-26 July. During the meeting, the experience of the NRSC regarding MORC (Materials Out of Regulatory Control) and DSRS (Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources) management was presented. The representative of the center was awarded a one-year right to «Institute of Nuclear Materials Management» membership and the right of the prestigious JNMM «Journal of Nuclear Materials Management» Correspondent Member and Editor.
The meeting among the «Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center» and IAEA representatives was held from June 25-26, in Yerevan. The visit aimed to introduce the new innovative tool (TOSCA), designed to self-assess the capabilities of scientific and technical organizations supporting national regulatory bodies. The IAEA will provide appropriate support for implementing the self-assessment exercise upon request from the Member States.
By the decision N 326 of March 7, 2024, the Government of the Republic of Armenia approved the document “Parameters that are subject for review during assessment and expertise of environmental impact of objects important for atomic energy purposes” developed and authored by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center. The document provides basis for environmental radiological impact assessment of objects important for atomic energy purposes during normal and potential emergency situations taking into account internationally approved approaches.
Representative of NRSC participated in the «Second Regional Coordination Meeting» on the IAEA RER9157 regional project held in Viena, Austria, in the period of 15-18 January 2024. The implemented works and planned activities in the frame of the project were discussed.
On January 9-10, 2024, the representative of the NRSC participated in the international working meeting on «International CBRN Response and Assistance» organized in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. During the meeting, the issues related to the national plan to respond to incidents caused by nuclear/radioactive substances were discussed․
