Nuclear power operating and licence systems
An operating licence granted by the Government is required for operating a nuclear power plant. A licence may be granted when the permit for its construction has been granted on condition that the prerequisites listed in the Nuclear Energy Act are fulfilled. These include taking appropriate account of the protection of workers, the populationīs safety and environmental protection; the adequate and appropriate availability of the applicantīs procedures for arranging nuclear waste management; and the appropriateness of the operating staffīs competence and of the operating organisation.
The operation of a nuclear power plant cannot be started on the basis of the permit granted for it before the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority has verified that the prerequisites decreed by law have been fulfilled and the Ministry of Trade and Industry has verified that the covering of the costs of nuclear waste management has been arranged in the way required by the Nuclear Energy Act.
An application for an environmental permit in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act (86/2000) must be made for a power plant. The permit covers all the matters associated with effects on the environment such as emissions into air and discharges into water, waste, noise and other matters relating to effects on the environment. A water permit according to the Water Act (264/1961) is required for the water treatment used in a power plantīs operations.
With environmental permits, society determines the basic level of environmental protection and safeguards citizensī rights. TVO sets itself targets that go further than this in line with the principle of constant improvement. The ISO 14001:2004 standard and systems for managing environmental matters according to the EMAS Regulation are in operation at TVOīs Olkiluoto power plant.
The ISO 14001 standard requires a company to have defined environmental objectives and targets and a management system for reaching these targets. Awareness of the environmental perspectives of the operations, and the demands placed on the management of environmental issues by interest groups and society are also part of the ISO 14001 standard.
EMAS consists of a scheme in line with the ISO 14001 and an environmental report. Companies participating in the environmental scheme are registered in the EMAS register that is maintained by Finlandīs Environmental Administration and in the EMAS register that pertains to the whole of Europe.