The stress-test performed after the events of Fukushima revealed the vulnerability of the environmental protection system of Paks NPP to earthquakes and station blackout. Project has been launched to improve the resistance of the system.

At the end of 2020, the operation of new VVER-440 lead test assemblies optimized for the water-uranium ratio will start at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. With the introduction of new fuel, fewer fresh assemblies will be needed for refuelling of the reactor.

Scientists of the Centre for Energy Research (EK) studied the activation susceptibility of the pebble-sand fraction of radiation-shielding concretes around nuclear reactors. During the project, a strong research network was formed with the Czech, Polish, Slovakian and Korean participants of the RADCON project.

While the entire world is facing the disease caused by СОVID-19 coronavirus infection, it is required to combine forces and implement urgent measures to ensure safety of the public. Following many countries, in the spring Ukraine entered a quarantine regime, continuing to day, and limited certain activities. However, the most important and most effective measure is conscious responsibility of each person.

The State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) of Ukraine and the U.S. NuScale Power Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) providing for review of national regulatory and design documents related to the implementation of the NuScale technology for the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ukraine. The MoU was signed by SSTC NRS Director, Ihor Shevchenko, from the Ukrainian side and by NuScale Power’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer, Dale Atkinson, from the U.S. side.

The State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety presents a new design of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Journal.
Last year, we presented a new identity of our company and now we have an updated journal design owing to the joint efforts of all editorial board members. It became more up-to-date, bright and no less relevant.

In December 2020, the 4-year period of building the Nuclear Safety Department at the National of Radiation Protection Institute Safety (SURO, v.v.i) will be closed and thus the transfer of the TSO function from Research Centre Rez to SURO will be completed. The whole process was based on the document “SUJB Support Section (TSO) for the field of nuclear safety in SURO, v.v.i. - Strategy 2017-2020 “.

On November 3, four young experts from ETSON member organisations competed in an online science slam for this year´s ETSON Award. The event, won by an IRSN researcher and his team, had been organised by the network´s Junior Staff Programm.

The award of the Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic for extraordinary results in the field of security research was won by a research team composed of representatives of the Research Center Rez and the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Knowledge about the origin, propagation and suppression of fires is essential for assessing fire safety of nuclear installations. For this reason, GRS is continuously participating in fire related international research activities carried out  under the auspices of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).