The Swedish Government has proposed the fusion of the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute (SSI, founded 1965) and the Reactor Safety Inspectorate (SKI, 1974) into a single agency. Although still only a proposal, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the fusion will take place. In April 2008, according to plan.
(657.5814) WISE Sweden - The Government terms the move to fuse the two a step toward more effective cooperation between two organizations, many of whose duties overlap. Nuclear safety tops the agenda of both, but whereas SKI is more strictly focused on the engineering aspects of nuclear technology, SSI's responsibilities include public health and environmental protection implications, as well.
Fusion of the two authorities has been on the table many times before, most recently in 2003. Then, the investigator saw a certain value in keeping two organizations. Among other things, it reduced the risk that issues could get "suppressed," as she put it, or missed out.
The environmental movement worries that environmental protection may lose its prominence on the new authority's agenda. Interestingly, it is a worry shared by the municipality of Östhammar (Forsmark), site of three reactors and one of two candidates for the Swedish repository for high-level waste. Östhammar's politicians advise against the fusion.
A second strong argument against the fusion is bad timing. Within the next two years, several aging Swedish reactors are to be refurbished. Among other things, their thermal effect will increase. Secondly, plans for several key aspects of Sweden's high-level waste storage will be up for approval in the next couple of years. The politicians in Östhammar and the environmental movement argue that SSI and SKI should be allowed to devote their full attention to these momentous issues, and not be distracted by a major reorganization next year.
A third worry concerns the ongoing dispute over whether or not Sweden's Environmental Code applies to nuclear installations (see Nuclear Monitor 652, 8 February 2007). SKI has been unwilling to accept the legitimacy of the Code in nuclear matters. By contrast, SSI officers argue that nuclear, as any other inherently hazardous industry, is unquestionably subject to the Code. A weakening of SSI's current position as a result of the fusion would mean a setback for Swedish environmentalists: the Code requires that NGOs be allowed to participate in the environmental impact assessment of nuclear installations; there is no such provision in the Law on Nuclear Technology (Kärntekniklagen, 1984).
Some commentators interpret the fusion as a response to a series of embarrassments that SKI suffered this past year. The 'culture of safety' at Sweden's Forsmark plant was found to be incredibly lax after an incident in July 2006 that might well have resulted in a meltdown (Nuclear Monitor 649, 6 September 2006). Only months later, repeated failures to report the contents of a storage facility for low and medium-level waste at Forsmark provoked SSI to impose a moratorium on further deposits (see box). Forsmark's blatant failure to comply with basic regulatory procedures means the failure of SKI's industry-friendly approach to regulation. Fusing the two institutions is seen as a way to bring SKI under a tighter rein. While unconfirmed, the speculations would at least explain the timing of the move.
Source and contact: Charly Hultén, Swedish Anti-Nuclear Movement/WISE-Sweden
Sweden: Halt ordered at waste store.
The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) has ordered to halt operations at SFR, the final repository for low- and medium level radioactive waste, located near the Forsmark nuclear power plants. SFR is located 50 meters below the bottom of the Baltic Sea and has capacity to store all Swedish low- and medium-level waste and is in operation since 1988.
The reason is that the authority finds that the operator Swedish Nuclear Fuel and
Waste Management Co (SKB) does not fulfill the radiation protection demands that SSI is asking for.
Despite repeated remarks SKB delayed reports or gave insufficient investigation material, which has made the monitoring more difficult. The SKB reports has shown deficiencies in the radiation protection. Apart from other things the company exceeded the applicable radiation protection limits and its methods for determining the mix of radioisotopes in certain wastes were insufficient. Operations are set to stop from 21 June.
The Inspectorate points out that there is no immediate risk for the environment. SSI it has very firm demands regarding the final storage, says SSI spokesperson Anders Wiebert. It must take place in a way secure for man and environment now and thousands of years ahead. It is not the first report about misshaps in the SFR. Two years ago (1 July 2005) there was an increase in drainage water activity levels at SFR with values approximately ten times higher than normal. But at that time SSI did not interfere.
WISE Sweden, email 18 June 2007 / WNN, 30 May 2007
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