Upholding high level of safety at the Bulgarian nuclear power plant, in line with the current international standards and criteria, is facilitated by applying the best international practices. Kozloduy NPP EAD maintains a regular exchange of information and operating experience working in close cooperation with a number of international organisations and leading companies in the nuclear industry.
World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)
WANO is the World Association of Nuclear Operators funded on 15 May 1989. WANO mission is to maximise the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants worldwide by working together to assess, benchmark and improve performance through mutual support, exchange of information, and emulation of best practices. WANO unites all operators of nuclear power plants globally and Kozloduy NPP EAD actively participates in all its programmes since its foundation.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the world's central forum for cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organisation within the United Nations family in 1957. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The Agency’s work is mainly focused on three aspects: nuclear verification and security, safety, and technology exchange.
Communications with the IAEA are facilitated by the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA). Bulgaria cooperates with the IAEA mainly through national and regional projects from the Technical Cooperation Programmes of the Department of Technical Cooperation. Concerning individual projects, communications are established with the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, Department of Nuclear Energy, and Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. Inspectors from the Department of Safeguards conduct regular inspections to evaluate the consistency between declared and undeclared nuclear material in the Bulgarian nuclear facilities.
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) operates within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is located just outside Paris, France. The mission of the Agency is to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Bulgaria is the 34th member of the NEA since 01 January 2021. Kozloduy NPP EAD takes part in the activities of the NEA through the Ministry of Energy.
INFORMATION SYSTEM ON OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE (ISOE)
The Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE) was established in 1992 to provide a forum for radiation protection professionals from nuclear electricity licensees and national regulatory authorities worldwide to share dose reduction information, operational experience and information to improve the optimisation of radiological protection at nuclear power plants. As of December 2022, there are 77 nuclear licensees in 31 countries, as well as 27 regulatory authorities of 25 countries participating in the system.
The ISOE includes dose data from 351 operating units; 70 shutdown units; 16 units under construction and/or commissioning
The objective of the ISOE is to improve the management of occupational exposure at nuclear power plants by exchanging broad and regularly updated information, data and experience on methods to optimise occupational radiological protection.
ISOE is jointly sponsored by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
(FORATOM becomes nucleareurope)
nucleareurope is the European nuclear forum focused on: coordination of the activities of its members; encouragement of international exchange of technical expertise; sharing information within the nuclear community; encouragement of good practices in the nuclear power plants.
Kozloduy NPP EAD takes part in the activities of nucleareurope through the Bulgarian Atomic Forum (BULATOM) in various work groups. Thus, the Bulgarian representatives contribute to the establishment of the common stands of the entire nuclear industry in Europe on every single issue and their presentation before the European institutions. The issues considered and discussed cover all the issues related to nuclear energy. The resulting proposals are very useful for nucleareurope as well as for the Bulgarian nuclear industry.
ENISS (European Nuclear Installation Safety Standards) Initiative of nucleareurope (FORATOM) provides the nuclear industry with a platform to exchange information on national and European regulatory activities, to express its views and provide expert input on all aspects related to international safety standards. Kozloduy NPP is a member of the ENISS Initiative since April 2011.
The participation in ENISS enables Kozloduy NPP to express its opinion as an operator when various important decisions are made in the nuclear industry and provides us with valuable information about upcoming implementation of the IAEA and WENRA documents and possibility for decision making before their final implementation.
WEC – WORLD ENERGY COUNCIL
The World Energy Council (WEC) has been a non-governmental and non-commercial organisation and it is the most important global energy organisation worldwide since its establishment in 1923. Its members represent committees from more than 90 countries among which are the major generators and consumers of electricity. The 80-year old organisation has been accredited by the UN and deals with all energy sources – coal, black oil, natural gas, water, renewables, nuclear fuel, etc. WEC’s central office is in London.
Accession of members to the WEC shall be done through the relevant national committee on their behalf. Kozloduy NPP EAD takes part in the activities of WEC through the National Committee of Bulgaria for the World Energy Council (NCBWEC).
The United Nations Global Compact is a voluntary initiative of the United Nations encouraging the global business to adopt sustainable and socially-engaged policies and report on their implementation. It was officially announced on 31 January 1999 by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and became functional on 26 July 2000.
The vision of the organisation is aimed at achieving a sustainable global economy, thus ensuring lasting benefits for the public, communities, and markets. In order to achieve this vision, the initiative aims to:
∙ Integrate the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact into the business strategies and operations worldwide;
∙ Encourage business initiatives in support of the UN objectives focussing on team work and joint efforts.
Kozloduy NPP EAD participates in the activities of the UN Global Compact through the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact. It operates as part of the global network and unites responsible organisations to develop collective projects with public importance, which have a positive impact on the sustainability of business and society. The Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact works on achieving a new level of Corporate Social Responsibility, namely CSR 2.0 – Collaborative Social Responsibility.
ATOMIC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Atomic Energy Research (AER) is an organisation for cooperation in the field of neutron physics, reactor physics, core design, nuclear fuel cycle management, core monitoring systems, WWER reactor safety analysis. The scope of works at AER covers modelling calculations for independent validation of the programmes and methodologies used for calculation of reactor core neutron physics characteristics, thermal-hydraulic safety analyses, and calculation of radiological characteristics and decay heat of the irradiated fuel. AER is aiming for cooperation and exchange of experience between the specialists from the nuclear power plants and nuclear institutes of the countries operating WWER reactors – Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Finland, Germany, Bulgaria. Kozloduy NPP, represented by its reactor physicists, is a regular and active participant in the AER’s activities for more then 30 years. Apart from Kozloduy NPP, the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is also a member of AER for Bulgaria. Symposia are held and the Specialist Report Collection is issued on a yearly basis.