site.btaInternational Atomic Energy Agency Report Confirms Stability of Bulgaria's Regulatory Framework, Calls for Steps in Emergency Preparedness

Bulgaria has a stable regulatory framework, but there is room for improvement in strategic management and emergency preparedness. These are the results of the final report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to review Bulgaria's nuclear regulatory framework, the so-called IRRS (Integrated Regulatory Review Service) mission. 

"The message that the mission has been completed successfully is very important for us," Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) Chairman Tsanko Bachiyski said at a press conference on Thursday, where he presented the results of the report.

The scope of the mission included all nuclear facilities and activities regulated in Bulgaria, as well as all organizations that have relevant regulatory responsibilities and functions for oversight of all facilities and activities involving ionizing radiation.

The IAEA mission to Bulgaria appreciates the work of the NRA in nuclear source regulation and safety, but recommends improvements in national safety policy, budget and human resource enhancements, and regulatory improvements.

The mission was carried out in line with the recommendation of the EU nuclear safety directive, which encourages periodic reviews of national frameworks and self-assessments of competent supervisory authorities to improve nuclear safety every ten years. It took place from November 17 to 29, 2024 at the invitation of Bulgaria. It was attended by 16 experts from 15 IAEA member states. As a result of the review, the NRA received an independent assessment of its regulatory activities, including suggestions for future improvements.

The report included 15 recommendations, 29 suggestions for process improvements, and 7 areas where Bulgaria performed well. Bachiyski pointed out that the number of recommendations is not relevant, but what actually matters is that they are implementable. One of them points to the need to adopt a national strategy for nuclear safety, as well as to increase the budget of the NRA to attract specialists in the sector. Based on these results, the agency will focus its efforts on strengthening professional capacity and improving knowledge and competence management processes. The government should review and revise regulations on emergency planning and preparedness in line with IAEA safety requirements.

Ilia Tasev, head of the Directorate for Public Health Protection, Health Surveillance and Patients' Rights at the Ministry of Health, commented that the mission was overall a success for Bulgaria. In his words, the results found during the mission identified areas that could be improved. "In general, we received assurance that the activities that the state is implementing through the two structures - the Nuclear Regulatory Agency and the Ministry of Health - were in the right direction," Tasev noted. According to him, the recommendations that have been received can improve the activities and strengthen the core work of the Ministry of Health in order to provide the best for Bulgarian patients when conducting medical examinations.

This is the second full-scale IRRS mission for Bulgaria. According to the IAEA methodology, the IRRS process in each member state includes two missions: one full-scale and one follow-up, which aims to check the progress of the recommendations and suggestions already made in the full-scale mission. The follow-up mission is normally carried out within two to four years later.

All recommendations from the previous mission have been implemented. The Chairman of the NRA expressed confidence that the new recommendations would also be implemented.

Regarding the future licensing steps for Units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP, which are forthcoming, Bachiyski commented that the NRA will be able to man them with the available staff. From then on, however, the regulator will be handicapped, as the role of the NRA becomes more and more important in construction, commissioning, and the issuance of the operating licence. "At the moment, with extra effort and external help, we could manage the issuance of the design decision and to some extent the review of the technical design and its approval. During construction, modifications may inevitably arise that need to be assessed by the licensee, assessing whether these modifications affect safety," he said.