At the invitation oof the Romanian regulatory body CNCAN (Comisia Națională pentru Controlul Activităților Nucleare), the representatives of Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate (SRBATOM) participated in the national nuclear emergency response exercise that was held for the past two days in Romania.

The exercise scenario involved the simulation of a severe nuclear emergency at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. This served to put at test the response procedures during an emergency and to assess the capabilities of all key actors, licensees, and the representatives of the local authorities that are involved in an emergency response.

The exercise was carried out at the following locations: Cernavoda, Fetesti, Konstanza, Ciolpani, Bucharest. All relevant national institutions including the Romanian nuclear safety regulatory body (CNCAN), National Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activity, Cernavoda NPP, Bucharest University Emergency Hospital, and many others, participated in the exercise.

The scenario implied the establishment of a field centre for the evacuation of the public, operational bases with the capacity to monitor radioactivity in the immediate vicinity of the nuclear power plant, as well as centres for decontamination of people and equipment.

Our representatives, who had the role of observers during the exercise, took this opportunity to visit the Romanian institutions, get to know their organizational structure and monitor their activities during the exercise.

The national exercise Valahia 2023 at Cernavoda NPP is a part of regular activities taken by Romania in order to maintain and upgrade its national response system in case of a nuclear or radiological emergency. In this regard, through the Norwegian grant programme and with the support of the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), Romania has enhanced its capacities and response plans for the past few years.

The exercise was organized to test nuclear emergency plans and verify the interfaces between responding organisations and government structures, as well as to identify the best practices, gaps and areas for improvement.