EU officials and experts with the PNRI Nuclear Regulatory Division staff during their final meeting at PNRI.
PNRI Completes EU Project on Legal and Regulatory Framework
After five years of close cooperation with representatives and experts from the European Union (EU), the Philippines, through the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) has finally completed its technical cooperation project with the EU to enhance and strengthen the regulatory regime for nuclear safety in the Philippines in accordance with international obligations, criteria and practices.
From 2013 to 2017, PNRI engaged in the EU-funded project PH3.09/09 (PH/RA/01) entitled “Technical assistance for improving the legal framework for nuclear safety and strengthening the capabilities of the Regulatory Authority of the Philippines and its TSO (PNRI)” through several meetings, trainings, workshops and fellowships. The project formally ends in June 2017.
The final project meeting was held at PNRI on March 24 with EU project counterparts and management team in attendance, namely Jorge Luis Hernandez, Jean-Yves Ravachol, Przemyslaw Imielski, Marianne Jelinski, Yann Berna, Mark Hulsmans, Francesca Nieto and Michel Chouha.
Around 20 experts from the EU facilitated the exchange of information, experiences and reference materials on topics covering legal and regulatory systems of other EU member countries vis-à-vis the Philippines, regulatory processes, safety requirements, human resource assessment and development and safety management system. The EU Project Team is composed of RISKAUDIT (France), IRSN (France), BEL V (Belgium), GRS (Germany), ITER Consult (Italy), STUK (Finland) and SUJB (Czech Republic).
Philippine experts participated in 14 major events organized under the project. Aside from PNRI, participants also came from agencies such as the National Power Corporation, Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau, Department of Health – Center for Device Regulation, Radiation Health and Research, and the Department of Science and Technology Legal Office. Fourteen PNRI regulators also engaged in on-the-job training and study visits in their counterpart regulatory agencies and nuclear facilities in Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, and Germany.
The implementation of the project, led by Mr. Teofilo V. Leonin, Jr., Chief, Nuclear Regulatory Division, was divided into four major tasks with corresponding PNRI project counterparts: Task 1 – Technical Assistance for the Enhancement OfThe Regulatory Framework in the Philippines (M.V. Palattao/ A.A. Singayan), Task 2 – Enhancement of The Regulatory Processes For Assessing Nuclear Safety and Licensing Of Nuclear Power Plants (V.K. Parami/E.G. Racho), Task 3 – Strengthening Capabilities Of The Nuclear Regulator In Deterministic And Probabilistic Safety Assessment (C.M. Nohay) and Task 4 – Human Resources Development Plan And Training Program for PNRI And Its TSO (L.B. Cayabo).
The EU-funded project, the first of its kind, has resulted in a remarkable outputs and enhancement of the regulatory capabilities of PNRI, particularly in their technical background on legal and regulatory infrastructure for nuclear power plants, inter alia, all the technical documents and reference materials needed in performing the regulatory functions of PNRI. The final meeting was concluded by a plant walkdown of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.
Another major outcome of the project was reflected in the drafting of the Code of PNRI Regulations (CPR) Part 5 on Site Evaluation Criteria and CPR Part 7 on Licensing Requirements for Nuclear Installations, and the Human Resource Development Plan (HRDP) and Training Program for the staff of the PNRI Nuclear Regulatory Division (NRD).
Under Republic Acts 2067 and 5207, both as amended, and Executive Order 128, PNRI serves as the regulatory body of the Philippines for nuclear and radioactive materials and facilities, a function that PNRI performs through the NRD.
