The commissioner of the of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), Javier Dies, attended in Vienna, the 52th meeting of the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), chaired by Rumina Velshi, president of the Canadian regulator (CNSC) and held from October 18 to 20 in Vienna.

During the conference, work was done on the approval of regulatory proposals raised by the various working groups, the potential regulatory implications associated with new designs for small modular reactors (SMR) and the study of actions aimed at maintenance of nuclear safety in the armed conflict in Ukraine.

The Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security of the IAEA, Lydie Evrard, stated the importance of safety standards as a regulatory basis that supports the protection of citizens and the environment. Commissiner Dies highlighted "the need to promote coordination between the various working groups, as well as optimizing the processes for the establishment of IAEA Safety Standards

The meeting, in which CSN technical experts actively participated, was developed through the presentation of the activities carried out in the different committees that form part of the Commission: Nuclear Safety (NUSSC), Transport (TRANSSC), Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPRESC), Radioactive Waste (WASSC) and Radiological Protection (RASSC), in addition to the Nuclear Physical Safety Guidelines Committee (NSGC).

IAEA Safety Guides

A total of five new safety guides and five preparation documents for future guides were approved at the meeting, such as the safety guides for the development and application of level 1 Probabilistic Safety Assessment for nuclear power plants, the safety demonstration of innovative technology in reactor designs or the licensing process for nuclear installations.

Similarly, information on the work of the nuclear harmonization and standardization initiative and the activities of the SMR Regulators’s Forum was updated.

The IAEA safety standards are divided into three groups of publications: the Fundamental Safety Principles, the Safety Requirements and the Safety Guides. Currently there are a total of more than 150 of these standards, which are used as a reference by a majority of States throughout the world during the development or modification of their regulations on nuclear and radiological safety.

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