An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission has concluded a 12-day mission to assess Lithuania’s regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety. This is overseen by the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate (VATESI – Valstybinė Atominės Energetikos Saugos Inspekcija) and the Radiation Protection Centre (RSC Radiacinės saugos centras) of the Ministry of Health.
Lithuania’s Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) has two units that are being decommissioned and the site is also used for used 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 in 2016 and 2020.
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 – Säteilyturvakeskus) in Finland. “The IRRS team was impressed with both VATESI’s and RSC’s commitment to continuous improvement.”
The IRRS team identified good practices. It said 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 but noted 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 final mission report will be provided to the Government in about three months.
