SSM's task is to protect people and the environment from undesired effects of radiation, now and in the future. The spent nuclear fuel from a nuclear power plant emits radiation for a long time, and we are to see to it that the nuclear industry follows all regulations and provisions when it comes to the repository. We do this by auditing SKB’s work and by reviewing their licensing application so that it meets safety standards and regulations.
What is the role of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority?
During 2010, the SKB plans to apply for a license to construct a repository for spent nuclear fuel. SSM will review the license application. Since the application is very comprehensive, we estimate that our work will take at least two years.
When we have finished our review, we will file a report of our findings with the Government where we either approve or deny SKB’s application.
What expertise does the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority have?
SSM has expertise in relevant technical fields and sciences, e.g. safety assessment, construction and design, geology, hydrology, chemistry, materials chemistry, materials technology, social sciences, technical physics, and radioecology.
The SSM and its predecessors (the SKI and the SSI) have reviewed SKB’s programme for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel for more than 25 years. During this time, the authorities have developed a strong capacity for analysing the long-term radiation safety of a final repository.
During the 1990s, the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate conducted two comprehensive, independent, safety analyses. One was submitted to an international peer review and was granted high marks. The authorities have also developed their own calculation models that can be used to check industry calculations; for example, models of how radioactive materials are spread through the environment.
The authorities have, through the years, adjoined themselves to a large number of international experts and expert groups within various scientific disciplines and technical fields. The external experts have researched, developed calculation models and participated in the authorities’ reviews of SKB’s safety reports and programmes for research, development and demonstration (the so-called RD&D programme). Most of these experts have worked for authorities for many years and are therefore well informed about these issues.
International Cooperation
International cooperation is another important element of SSM’s professional development and competency acquisition. The SSM and its predecessors are well represented in international cooperation and research on questions related to final repositories, within the IAEA for example (the International Atomic Energy Agency), the EU, and the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency.
The SSM also operates research and development programmes in collaboration with authorities in other nations, for example Finland. The SSM will also use international organisations to make an independent international peer review of SKB’s licensing application for the final repository.
In sum, the SSM is well prepared to make a qualified review of the final repository when SKB submits its application.