This is NKS

Informal Cooperation Programme

NKS (Nordic Nuclear Safety Research) is a platform for Nordic cooperation and competence in nuclear safety, including radiation protection and emergency preparedness. It is an informal forum, serving as an umbrella for Nordic initiatives and interests. Its purpose is to carry out joint activities producing seminars, exercises, scientific articles, technical reports and other types of reference material. The work is financed and supported by Nordic authorities, companies and other organisations. The results are used by participating organisations in their decision making processes and information efforts.

The Nordic Heritage

The region in question is the five Nordic countries, i.e., Denmark (including the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. With a total population of some 25 million people, and a common cultural and historic heritage, the Nordic countries have cooperated in the field of nuclear safety for approximately half a century. Informal networks for exchange of information have developed throughout the years, strengthening the region’s potential for fast, coordinated and adequate response to nuclear threats, incidents and accidents. NKS has served well as a platform for such activities.

Why Nordic Cooperation in Nuclear Safety?

This Nordic interest in cooperation and pooling of resources via NKS is due to the large number of nuclear installations and activities in the region. There are four nuclear power reactors in operation in Finland, and one (Olkiluoto 3) is under construction. There is also a decision in principle to build two new nuclear power plants in Finland. Sweden has 12 nuclear power reactors. Of these, 10 will continue operation and two have been permanently shut down (Barsebäck 1 and 2). Preparations are being made to decommission the Barsebäck reactors. The Swedish Government has announced an agreement allowing for the replacement of existing reactors. There are research reactors in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The three Danish reactors have been closed and decommissioning work has started. The research reactors in Finland and Norway are still in operation. The two Swedish research reactors have been shut down and face decommissioning. In Sweden there is also a nuclear fuel production plant in operation. All five Nordic countries have interim storages for radioactive waste. Finland, Norway and Sweden have final repositories in operation for low and medium level waste. In Finland and Sweden work is in progress to allow construction of final repositories for spent fuel. Apart from nuclear installations in the Nordic countries, there are commercial, research and naval nuclear reactors and other nuclear installations in surrounding eastern and western countries.

Nordic and International Benefits

Therefore, NKS with its programme for nuclear safety including radioactive waste, environ­mental issues, emergency preparedness, radiation protection and information is of common interest to all five Nordic countries. The hallmark of NKS is a spirit of sharing – all results are available free of charge, not only to the NKS family but worldwide. When quoting NKS material, a reference to the source will be appreciated.

Two Main Branches

The work is divided into two main branches:

NKS-R: Reactor Safety including Decommissioning and Organisational issues.

NKS-B: Radiological and nuclear emergency preparedness; Measurement strategy, technology and quality assurance; Radioecology and environmental assessments; Management of radioactive waste and discharges.

Owners of NKS

Normally, only activities of interest to financing organisations and other end users are carried out. The results should be practical and directly applicable. The owners and main financiers are:

Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)

Ministry of Employment and the Economy (TEM, Finland)

Icelandic Radiation Safety Authority (GR)

Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA)

Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM)

Financial Support

In 2011 the contributions of the owners together with support from a number of additional financiers in the nuclear field added up to a total of some 9.5 million Danish crowns (1.3 million euros). To this should be added contributions in kind by participating organisations, worth approximately the same amount, without which this programme would not be possible.