Successful implementation of WENRA requirements

The Hungarian regulations on the storage of radioactive waste fully comply with the requirements set by the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA).

The working group on waste and decommissioning (WGWD) is mandated to analyze the current situation and the different safety approaches, to compare individual national regulatory approaches with the WENRA reference levels (based on IAEA Safety Standards), to identify possible differences and to propose a way forward harmonizing the regulatory requirements on European level.

National regulations must comply with the requirements (reference levels) published by WENRA. The existing of the relevant requirements with all the necessary details in the national legislation has to be proven by the Member States Possible gaps need to be addressed, most often by clarifying or complementing the legal background.

In Hungary, compliance with the 108 reference levels for the final disposal of radioactive waste has already been verified. During the last six months, the presentations of the legal compliances of the 61 reference levels of the report on Waste and Spent Fuel Storage Safety Reference Levels has been on the agenda. The delegate of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority fully confirmed the compliance at the one-week plenary session held in the framework of an online / video conference at the end of March. After a rigorous review, the WGWD Committee accepted that the current Hungarian regulations were in line with all WENRA requirements for interim storage of radioactive waste.

Click here to find more information on legal framework related to the regulatory oversight of radioactive waste repositories, and click here for more information on HAEA’s regulatory activities.