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TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Technical support activities coordinated by the HAEA in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy

The peaceful use of atomic energy demands advanced technical-scientific basis. The international agreements on nuclear safety specify requirements for the technical background. The Act on Atomic Energy also orders that the safe use of atomic energy and the solution of the corresponding technical support tasks shall be facilitated by scientific and technical development, coordinated organization of research activities and practical use of the results of international and domestic scientific research.
The coordination and financing of technical background activities in relation to safety and security of the peaceful use of atomic energy in Hungary meant to support the regulatory oversight is the task of the HAEA.
Various background programmes support the regulatory oversight activity regarding the peaceful use of atomic energy. Since 1996 the programmes have been being developed in multi-annual task plans. The implementation of the tasks takes place according to annual support contracts according to Act CVIII of 2011 on public procurement based on a negotiation process including a tendering system.
In the field of regulatory activities related to nuclear safety it is a requirement to incorporate the Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) in order to support of the regulatory work. During the technical support programmes of recent years a network of technical support organizations assisting the regulatory activity of the HAEA has been formed. It provides the necessary independent background for the HAEA with qualified professionals. The independence of expertise support is guaranteed by high level quality management systems introduced at the TSOs. The most important institutions of the network are:

Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Energy Research (www.energia.mta.hu) – The Centre was established in January 2012 by emerging two research institutes i.e. the HAS Institute for Isotopes and the HAS KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute (AEKI). The Research Centre operates the Budapest Research Reactor, which reactor has 10 MW thermal power. The goal of the Research Centre is to carry out scientific research at international level to improve the level of knowledge of the Hungarian nuclear safety competence, on the safety of the units of Paks NPP with extended service life and the new nuclear power units in Hungary, on the colure of the fuel cycle, on the development of new generation of nuclear power plants, on the interaction of ionizing radiations (neutron-, gamma- and electron radiation) and the material, and in the field of isotope and nuclear chemistry, nuclear analytics and radiography, radiation chemistry, radiation protection and nuclear safety, surface chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis and of the renewable energy sources. The Energy Research Centre provides expert and laboratory support for the HAEA.

Nuclear Safety Research Institute (NUBIKI) (www.nubiki.hu) – Deterministic and probabilistic safety analyses of nuclear power plant events, severe accident analyses and noise diagnostic are the main areas of activity of this institute.

PÖYRY ERŐTERV Co. (www.poyry.hu) – It deals with design of nuclear installations and provision of engineering services. Its activity also covers radioactive waste management.

National Public Health Centre, National Research Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene (www.osski.hu) – It pursues a wide scope of research, including the biological effect of radiation and radioisotopes, operational and environmental radiation protection, sterilization and detoxification.

Institute of Nuclear Techniques of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (www.reak.bme.hu) – This Institute operates the training reactor, teaches nuclear technology to engineers, physicists, chemists and environmental professionals, and performs research in the field of thermo-hydraulics and reactor physics.

VEIKI Energy + Co. – It was established from the thermal energy division of the former VEIKI Co. Its main fields of activity are mechanical design and engineering and strength analyses.

SOM System (www.somsystem.hu) – It provides support to the HAEA first of all concerning legal environment, law-drafting and law amendment.