Slovenia and US sign new nuclear safety accord
Vienna, 21 March - The Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission signed a new bilateral agreement on Tuesday to exchange technical information and cooperate in research and training of experts.
Dol pri Ljubljani
Central radioactive waste storage facility.
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek/STA
The agreement, following the first such signed in 1993, was signed on the sidelines of a meeting of contracting parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety in Vienna by Igor Sirc, director of the Slovenian administration, and NRC chair Christopher T. Hanson, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning said.
The agreement reaffirms the countries' commitment to exchange technical information, to cooperate in nuclear safety research, to provide training and experience for experts and to cooperate in potential emergency events.
The release notes that US companies are suppliers for the reactor and related equipment for the Krško Nuclear Power Station (NEK) as well as the research reactor of the Jožef Stefan Institute at Dol near Ljubljana.
The bilateral agreement is deemed of "exceptional importance for the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration, providing it with direct contact with the authority of the country of manufacture of the mentioned reactors and related systems".
The agreement was signed as part of a review meeting of the parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The countries parties to the convention operating civil nuclear power plants have committed to respect fundamental principles to maintain a high level of nuclear safety.
Slovenia has been a party to the Convention since 1996.
Apart from the Nuclear Safety Administration, the Slovenian delegation to the meeting also includes representatives of the Slovenian permanent mission to Vienna and NEK.
After making a national presentation focusing on the safe operation of NEK, the delegation will also attend presentations of some other countries.
These are selected taking into account the importance of the country in terms of the number of reactors and technology, the proximity of the country, countries with which Slovenia has bilateral agreements, and other countries of interest due to their technology, advanced approach, and the rapid growth of the nuclear energy sector.
The meeting in Vienna is running from 20 to 31 March.