The Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, prepares the adoption of a new Government Decision to finance one of the important systems for Romania and emphasized the importance of the National Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring Network (RNSRM), the national provider of data in the field of environmental radioactivity.
Minister of the Environment points out that this network is essential both in normal situations and in cases of radiological emergencies or nuclear accidents, having a crucial role, especially in the current geopolitical context, influenced by the war in Ukraine. On the territory of Ukraine, which shares borders with Romania, there are four nuclear-electric power plants, including the Zaporozhye NPP, the largest in Europe, with six reactors permanently exposed to risks that can affect nuclear safety and security.
In this tense context, the proper functioning of the RNSRM is imperative. The network has the obligation to continuously monitor the radioactivity of environmental factors at the national level, eliminating the risk of syncope caused by malfunctions or technical wear and tear of the equipment.
Currently, this activity is ensured by 38 laboratories - 37 territorial laboratories within the environmental protection agencies (APMs) and a national reference laboratory within the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPM) - and 86 automatic monitoring stations of the gamma dose rate equivalent absorbed in the air.
The Minister of the Environment says that these constitute the National Environmental Radioactivity Warning/Alarm System (SNAARM). However, at present, two automatic stations for monitoring the gamma dose equivalent flow and all five automatic water monitoring stations within SNAARM are completely out of use.
More than 75% of the equipment used in the RNSRM, whether laboratory, field or automatic, are more than 18 years old, being physically and morally worn. In this context, the draft normative act under discussion regulates the opportunity to develop and optimize the functioning of RNSRM in the medium and long term.
It completes the modernization measures included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Component 3, Investment I.3b - "Equipment for monitoring air quality, radioactivity and noise for the National Agency for Environmental Protection".
Through this plan, 200 automatic stations, fixed and mobile, will be purchased for monitoring the equivalent of the gamma dose rate absorbed in the air. The Minister of the Environment specified that these modernization stages do not duplicate, but complement each other.
Following the checks carried out by the European Commission in 2023, based on art. 35 of the EURATOM Treaty, the Romanian authorities received specific recommendations for improving the monitoring and reporting of environmental radioactivity, including atmospheric aerosols. The draft normative act seeks to respond to these requirements by allocating the necessary resources from the Environment Fund budget, ensuring the development and optimization of the RNSRM.
The modernization of the RNSRM will allow Romania to comply with the commitments assumed by signing the EURATOM Treaty, contributing to the certification of a clean and healthy environment.
In addition to the direct benefits for the environment and the population, an effective monitoring system will provide the competent authorities with fast and precise data, essential for a prompt response in emergency situations. This will reduce the risk of panic episodes caused by false alarms.
The positive changes anticipated through the implementation of this project will strengthen citizens' trust in the environmental protection systems and will contribute to the management efficiency of radiological risks in Romania.
