Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Oversight (Rostekhnadzor)

The Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Oversight (Rostekhnadzor) was created in May 2004 through the merger of the Federal Nuclear Oversight Service (formerly Gosatomnadzor), the Federal Service for Technological Oversight, and the environmental oversight functions of the Federal Service for Oversight of the Environment and the Use of Nature. ¹ This 2004 restructuring did not change the agency’s nuclear oversight mandate, as defined in the 1995 Law on Use of Atomic Energy. However, Rostekhnadzor’s mandate for oversight has expanded to non-nuclear areas such as heavy industry and mining. Rostekhnadzor also ensures operational safety of Russia’s nuclear facilities, safe nuclear material transport, protection of nuclear materials and radioactive substances, and proper materials accounting.

In May 2008, Rostekhnadzor was shifted from the supervision of the Government of the Russian Federation to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology (MinPrirody). ² This move triggered widespread concerns regarding a perceived reduction in the authority and independence of oversight, especially as Rosatom was scaling up domestic nuclear construction. In response to these concerns the shift was reversed in June 2010, and Rostekhnadzor was placed back under the direct supervision of the Government of the Russian Federation later that year. ³

Rostekhnadzor is the state body that licenses nuclear facilities, issues equipment permits, and regulates the safety of nuclear energy use. However, the agency is not responsible for the safety of military-use nuclear energy facilities. Rostekhnadzor is also the regulatory agent, in accordance with Russia’s international obligations, for the following agreements: the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the United Nations Joint Convention on the Safe Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste, and the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials (CPPNM). ⁴ Rostekhnadzor has a headquarters in Moscow ; 31 territorial directorates; seven interterritorial directorates; and 16 subordinate agencies. ⁵

As a branch of Rostekhnadzor, the Scientific and Engineering Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SEC NRS) researches technological and scientific improvements in nuclear safety. SEC NRS maintains partnerships with international organizations such as the European Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the U.S. Department of Energy. ⁶