A technical meeting organized by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was held in Yerevan. The meeting aimed at presenting interested parties with the progress of preparatory work related to the removal of high-level radioactive sources and transfer to the storage facility. Highly radioactive sources have remained in Armenia since Soviet times and are currently not in use. They have been stored in a bunker of a scientific institute for decades, but now there is a need to move to a safe storage facility. Armenia has no such experience. For the first time, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center has developed a plan for their removal and transportation from the bunker in compliance with the highest safety standards. The Center is cooperating with a specialized US laboratory, whose specialists were invited to Armenia to discuss the program. The preparatory stage includes a thorough inspection of the site, an assessment of the necessary materials and equipment, as well as a detailed development of a safety plan. It is essential to minimize risks to both personnel and the environment during the process. The meeting was attended by representatives of the National Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee of the Republic of Armenia, Radioactive Waste Disposal CJSC(RADON), as well as specialists from the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to ensure global nuclear safety and responsible management of radioactive materials. Both Armenia and the United States emphasize the importance of international cooperation in reducing nuclear risks.
The International Conference on Enhancing Nuclear Safety and Security Through Technical and Scientific Support Organizations (TSOs): Challenges and Opportunities in a Rapidly Changing World was hosted at the Headquarters in Vienna from 2-6 December 2024. It brought together experts from all over the world to exchange the best practices and enhance the technical and scientific capacities of TSOs to enhance and promote their potential contribution to the nuclear and radiation safety and security of facilities and activities. The special session was devoted to the IAEA-developed TSO Self-Capability Assessment Methodology aimed to assess and further develop the TSO scientific and technical capabilities, and evaluate how these are developed, sustained and applied in regulatory functions. The tool is of high interest for the TSOs worldwide and many Member States expressed their desire to implement it in their TSOs. In 2024 TSO self-assessment with the TOSCA toll was concluded in 2 countries – Armenia and Ghana. NRSC representative Marina Simonyan participated in the special session. She shared with the participants the company’s experience of conducting self-assessment with the IAEA-developed tool. The results of the self-assessment were discussed with the IAEA expert team during the National Workshop held in Armenia on 19-21 November 2024 and summarized in the recommendations, which will serve as a basis to develop an “Action plan” for their implementation.
On November 19-21, 2024, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center together with the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee hosted the expert team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the framework of the national workshop held in Armenia․ The purpose of the workshop was to get acquainted with the process of applying the TOSCA tool for self-assessment and its results․ The Center presented the results of its self-assessment and SWOT analysis to IAEA experts. The results of further discussions and analyses were summarized in the report of recommendations and findings published by the IAEA expert group, which will later serve as the basis for the development of the Action Plan. The experience of the Center for the application of the TOSCA tool will be presented at the IAEA during the international conference, which will take place on December 2-6, in Vienna/ Austria.
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.
Երևանը պաշտոնապես դիմել է Վաշինգտոնին միջուկային հարցերում համագործակցելու համար, ԱՄՆ-ն ուսումնասիրում է Հայաստանի դիմումը։ Եթե Նահանգները հաստատի հայտը, Հայաստանը կարող է ստանալ ամերիկյան քաղաքացիական միջուկային տեխնոլոգիաներ՝ նոր ատոմակայան կառուցելու համար։ Դիմումը հաստատելու կամ մերժելու հնարավոր ժամկետների մասին ոչինչ չի հաղորդվել։ «Տեղեկատվությունը Հայաստանին փոխանցելու համար հարկավոր է որոշակի պարտավորություններ վերցնել՝ հայկական կողմը պետք է պարտավորություններ վերցնի, և հենց այդ, այսպես կոչված, 123 համաձայնագրի նպատակներից մեկն էլ դա է, որ մենք միանալով այդ համաձայնագրին՝ պարտավորվում ենք ինֆորմացիան, տեղեկատվությունը երրորդ կողմին չփոխանցել», – «Ազատության» հետ զրույցում ասաց Միջուկային և ռադիացիոն անվտանգության գիտատեխնիկական կենտրոնի ղեկավար Արմեն Ամիրջանյանը: Ավելի մանրամասն կարդալ այստեղ։
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.
