Nuclear Energy and Safety Bill was approved by Economic Affairs Committee

The Economic Affairs Committee decided to forward the Nuclear Energy and Safety Bill to the first reading in the plenary.

The sitting of the Economic Affairs Committee was chaired by its Deputy Chairman Aleksei Jevgrafov who explained that the Bill laid the foundation for a peaceful generation and use of nuclear energy in Estonia. “The existing legislation does not allow nuclear energy to be generated in Estonia. This Act would create the legal framework that lays out the choice for the location, construction, testing, and operation of a nuclear power station, as well as the rules for demolishing it and for the final storage of nuclear waste. It would also establish a national level nuclear regulator,” he explained, adding that nuclear safety is the highest priority above anything else.

“We have only just embarked on the road to introducing nuclear energy and many questions are still to be answered; we look forward to great public interest and wide participation in discussions in the society. When deciding to build a nuclear power station, we must be sure that the society agrees and that it actually reduces the price of energy,” Jevgrafov said.

Member of the Committee and the Chairman of the Nuclear Power Support Group Mario Kadastik called it possibly the most important Bill of this Riigikogu. “Nuclear energy must form part of our security of supply. Considering the current events in the Strait of Hormuz, we cannot count on gas,” he warned.

The Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt also took part in the sitting, stating that the function of the national nuclear regulator with all the rights and obligations this entails would be created at the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (CPTRA). The Bill provides a gradual permit system for the construction of the power station, with steps such as preliminary assessment, building permit, testing permit, operating permit, and decommissioning permit. The nuclear regulator is to begin its work on 1 January 2027.

Member of the Committee Rene Kokk advocated for the establishment of a separate institution of nuclear regulator. “I am not opposed to the nuclear regulator operating under the CPTRA at first; however, seeing how the CPTRA is constantly being burdened with new tasks, the state should be prepared to establish a separate regulator,” he stressed.

The Bill also sets out the principle that the founder and operator of the power station is fully responsible for the safety of the object and for the expenses incurred at the end of its life cycle. A national decommissioning fund is to be established for this eventuality; the operator is to collect funds there during the operational period of the power station for its future decommissioning costs and the final storage of waste. The Bill also sets out the principles of nuclear safety, physical protection, emergency readiness, and implementation of international control measures.

The Economic Affairs Committee proposed to the Board that the Nuclear Energy and Safety Bill (856 SE) be entered on the agenda of the plenary sitting on April 8 and to conclude the first reading of the Bill.

Riigikogu Press Service
Maris Meiessaar
+372 631 6353, +372 5558 3993
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]