Analysis of factors taken into account when assessing the location of nuclear power facilities in the light of the proposed changes to Polish executive regulations

Abstract

In the long-term process of building a nuclear power plant, the first step is a site selection, preceded by detailed studies and analyses. Their purpose is to identify threats to the safety of the facility in a given area, as well as to determine the degree of impact of this facility on the environment. The effects of these activities are collected in the form of a site evaluation report, the scope and form of which are defined in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 10 August 2012 (Journal of Laws of 2012, item 1025). Pursuant to the latest regulatory changes introduced under the act amending the act on the preparation and implementation of investments in nuclear power facilities and accompanying investments and certain other acts, the document preceding the preparation of such a location report is the institution of a preliminary site evaluation report. The legislator’s intention is to introduce the preliminary report as an element of adapting Polish legal regulations to the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the field of site surveys for nuclear facilities. The article analyzes the scope of the preliminary site evaluation report against the background of the existing regulations, as well as some IAEA recommendations. The procedure for selecting the site for the building of a nuclear power plant, the scope of site research necessary to prepare the preliminary and final site evaluation report, as well as the criteria taken into account in the assessment of the site intended for the building of a nuclear power plant were analyzed.