The Arrangement between the State Committee under the Government of Republic of Armenia on Nuclear Safety Regulation (ANRA) and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) for the Exchange of Technical Information and Cooperation in Nuclear Safety Matters was signed on 29 March, 2017 at the International Atomic Energy Agency (Vienna, Austria).
It should be noted that ANRA and US NRC have been cooperating in the frameworks of the cooperative arrangement on exchange of technical information in nuclear safety matters, signed in 1997. This year ANRA and US NRC commemorate the 20-years anniversary of cooperation.
In the result of the 20-years cooperation US NRC provided support to ANRA in the following areas:
• Personnel training (NPP thermal hydraulic calculations by RELAP-5 software, neutron and physical calculations, regulatory requirements to the NPP Safety Analysis Report, physical protection of nuclear materials and NPP, NPP seismic safety)
• Provision of software for nuclear safety assessment and analysis
• Licensing of dry spent fuel storage facility
• NPP Probabilistic Safety Analysis (I level)
• Development of the national register and registration of ionizing radiation sources in Armenia
• Development of the regulatory documents on the safety and security of ionizing radiation sources
• NPP Probabilistic Safety Analysis (II level)
• Licensing of ionizing radiation sources
• Physical protection of nuclear materials
• And other.
The new agreement will give an opportunity to expand USA-Armenia cooperation in the field of nuclear safety regulation, as well as to implement exchange of technical information in the fields of licensing nuclear installations, nuclear safety regulation of the new-builds, operating experience exchange, physical protection, radioactive waste management, radiation safety and environment impact assessment.
