IAEA Mission Says Lithuania Committed to Continuous Improvement of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Regulation
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission of international experts said Lithuania is committed to continually improving the country’s robust and long-standing nuclear and radiation safety regulatory activities.
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team concluded a 12-day mission to assess Lithuania’s regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, which is overseen by the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI) and the Radiation Protection Centre (RSC) of the Ministry of Health.
Using IAEA safety standards and international good practices, IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national regulatory infrastructure while recognizing the responsibility of each country for nuclear and radiation safety.
Lithuania’s Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) has two units that are being decommissioned and the site is also used for spent fuel and radioactive waste storage and disposal facilities. In addition, radiation sources are used in medicine, research and industry. Lithuania hosted two previous IRRS missions: an initial one in 2016 and a follow-up evaluating progress in 2020.
“The IRRS mission provides valuable insights that will help us further improve our national nuclear and radiation safety infrastructure,” said Michail Demčenko, Head of VATESI.
The 12-member IRRS team comprised experts from Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Singapore and Sweden, as well as two IAEA staff members.
During the mission, IRRS team members reviewed the legislation, regulations, policies and procedures of the regulatory bodies, and held interviews and discussions with VATESI and RSC staff. Team members also observed regulatory inspections at three sites: INPP; the radiology department of a private clinic, UAB InMedica; and an industrial facility, UAB Polimaster Europe.
“Lithuania has a robust and mature regulatory system in place covering all aspects of radiation and nuclear safety,” said IRRS team leader Mika Markkanen, Principal Advisor for the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) in Finland. “The IRRS team was impressed with both VATESI’s and RSC’s commitment to continuous improvement.”
The IRRS team identified good practices, including:
- The Government has established a programme for the periodic assessment of supervisory authorities, including VATESI and RSC, to ensure efficient and effective regulatory oversight across all of Lithuania. The mechanism assesses indicators related to supervision quality, risk-based oversight, administrative burden reduction and the use of modern regulatory tools, while also identifying systemic weaknesses and areas requiring improvement.
- RSC has taken several steps to make information and data more accessible to the public, including through a national strategic public information campaign and the use of digital tools.
The IRRS team did not identify significant challenges for the regulatory system in Lithuania in its findings but noted that there are some areas where it could be further aligned with the IAEA Safety Standards. The team observed that implementation of its recommendations, together with consideration of the suggestions—particularly those related to communication and cooperation between VATESI and RSC—would support the continued strengthening of the overall performance of the regulatory system.
The mission provided recommendations and suggestions for improvements, including:
- VATESI and RSC should consider improving coordination and cooperation arrangements in, for example, the areas of usage of radioactive sources, that could be carried out both outside and inside nuclear facilities.
- RSC should consider defining supplementary methods for evaluating the effectiveness of inspection processes.
- The competent authorities should ensure all radioactive sources are covered by risk categorization in line with the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material.
- VATESI should establish mechanisms for regularly testing and evaluating emergency response functions using pre-defined criteria.
“The IRRS mission represents a significant opportunity for Lithuania to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is essential to our common goal of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation,” said Ernestas Jasaitis, Director of RSC.
The final mission report will be provided to the Government in about three months.
(photo by Martynas Ambrazas).