An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Emergency Preparedness Review (EPREV) Service has concluded a ten-day mission to review Finland’s preparedness and response framework for nuclear and radiological emergencies. The review was carried out at the request of the Government of Finland and hosted by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK – Säteilyturvakeskus).
Finland operates five nuclear power reactors at two sites: Loviisa NPP, 90 km northeast of the capital Helsinki with two VVER-440 units, and Olkiluoto NPP, 270 km northwest of Helsinki with two boiling water reactors (BWRs) and one European pressurised reactor (EPR). The Olkiluoto site also hosts the Onkalo used fuel repository, the world’s first geological disposal facility for final disposal of nuclear waste. Radiation sources are also used in Finland’s medical, industrial and research applications.
Olivier Isnard, Deputy Director for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, led the international review team, which included experts from Argentina, Austria, Canada, France, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Slovenia and South Africa.
The EPREV team interviewed the main governmental authorities responsible for preparedness and response to nuclear and radiological emergencies, as well as the national and regional police and rescue services, and local public authorities.
The team visited the Olkiluoto NPP and reviewed the offsite response arrangements at the Loviisa plant. They also visited the Satasairaala hospital chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training centre as well as food safety laboratories and the Helsinki City Rescue Department and civil defence shelter.
“Finland has invested considerable effort and resources in preparing for nuclear and radiological emergencies, and we saw this reflected in the expertise and commitment of the organizations we met,” said Isnard, adding that “more systematic coordination at the national level, and across sectors and phases of an emergency, would help Finland draw even more effectively on these capabilities.”
The EPREV team identified strengths in Finland’s Emergency Preparedness and Response framework, including the national mechanism bringing together public authorities, industry and non-governmental organisations to ensure the continuity of critical societal functions in an emergency, and the Satasairaala hospital’s training plan for managing anyone affected by radioactive contamination as the result of an emergency.
The team also identified areas where further improvement is needed, including:
- To strengthen national coordination both at the preparedness stage by establishing a National Coordinating Mechanism and during the response to a nuclear or radiological emergency especially in the early and transition phases by developing a National Radiation Emergency Plan in accordance with IAEA Safety Standards, which integrates roles, responsibilities, and coordination arrangements at all levels and phases of response;
- To establish legislation for the management of radioactive waste generated from decontamination activities in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency;
- To further improve arrangements for the protection of the public, emergency workers and helpers, for public communication and for integrating international assistance with the national response;
- To enhance laboratory capacity for the analysis of environmental, food and water samples.
“The observations from the EPREV mission bring important input to the development of Finnish arrangements in preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergencies, especially enhancing the coordination of all parties that participate in preparedness and response,” said Karim Peltonen, Director at STUK. “The conduct of an EPREV review mission in Finland also demonstrates the commitment of the government to the rule-based world order and to the international framework for preparedness and response for nuclear and radiological emergencies.”
