Sixth Meeting of the Italian-Swiss Commission on nuclear safety

As part of the bilateral agreements between Italy and Switzerland on cooperation on nuclear safety and nuclear and radiological emergencies, on  January 11, 2018,  the 6th meeting of the Italian-Swiss Commission for cooperation on nuclear safety took place in Basel. The Commission, which meets on yearly basis, is the instrument for implementing the cooperation policies that Italy and Switzerland have decided to pursue by signing bilateral agreements, both at governmental  level and between their respective nuclear safety authorities. The meeting was attended by representatives from the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection of ISPRA, as the National Regulatory Authority on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, of the Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, of the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection and the Swiss Federal Office for Energy. During the meeting, information and experience were exchanged in the field of nuclear safety regulation, radioactive waste management, with focus on national policies concerning the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the disposal of radioactive waste, as well as on the subject of cooperation in the management of nuclear or radiological emergencies.

In particular, on the subject of emergency planning, relevant  information useful for the next revision of the National Plan of Radiological Emergency Actions have been shared. A visit to the underground laboratory of Mont Terri, in the French canton, took place on the 10th of January. The Mont Terri international research project aims to analyze the geological, hydro geological, geochemical and mechanic characteristics of opaline clay rocks. These characteristics are needed for the assessment of the safety and of the technical-construction feasibility of a deep geological final disposal facility of radioactive waste. The project involves 15 organizations from Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United States, confirming the importance given at international level to this type of research.