OREANDA-NEWS. May 21, 2008. IAEA experts say that the improved radiation monitoring and emergency response system of Murmansk region can serve as a model for other regions, the deputy head of department of the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Kiselyov said during a meeting of the Public Council for the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy in Murmansk region.

He said that the project to improve the radiation monitoring and emergency response system of Murmansk region was carried out for two years and completed in late 2007. The project covered “Atomflot” FSUE, “Nerpa” Shipyard, facility for temporary storage of reactor blocks “Saida,” Andreyev Bay, Gremikha, Kola Nuclear Power Plant and Shipyard N10. The system was tested at “Zapolyarye 2007” exercise.

The key directions of the project were the development of the existing and the creation of new site and territorial automated radiation control systems, including mobile radiation reconnaissance systems; the creation of Crisis Center of Murmansk region and Crisis Center of SevRAO FSUE; the creation of communications systems for processing data for emergency response groups of al levels; the design of software for facilitating the decision making process.

Kiselyov said that the project had no analogues in Russia in terms of its territorial scope and coverage of facilities and enterprises participating in projects for destruction of nuclear submarines and treatment of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.

23 automatic gamma radiation control and 9 automatic meteorological stations were installed in the region in the framework of the project.. The Murmansk Department of Roshydromet (Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environment Monitoring) and local meteorological centers were equipped with modern computer systems. The software of the system was upgraded with a number of sensors integrated into the territorial system.