Nuclear Security: Nuclear security aims to prevent, detect, and respond to any theft, sabotage, unauthorized access or illegal transfer (or any other criminal act) of nuclear materials and/or radioactive materials or their associated facilities.
Nuclear security includes:
• Security of nuclear and radioactive materials and their associated facilities.
• Security of nuclear and radioactive materials during the transport.
• Security of nuclear and radioactive materials in use and/or in storage.
NRRC establishes the nation wide approach to strengthen the nuclear security system in combatting the unauthorized movement of nuclear and radioactive materials, as well as contaminated goods, using radiation detection system (RDS). The RDS is installed in several regions within the Kingdom with the provision of relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to the relevant competent security agencies to be adopted in their day to day operation in detecting illicit movement of such materials. This effort is conducted to ensure effective response integration from RDS detection with the role of an Emergency Operations Centre of NRRC.
NRRC participate in the IAEA Incident Trafficking Database (ITDB) in sharing and gathering on worldwide security events reported to the IAEA. Such cooperation provides advance information to response as well as for developing security system and measures in the Kingdom. ITDB also provide a proper window for NRRC to share relevant information with the international community through the IAEA that could enhancement of nuclear security control measures in other respective countries.
Safeguards and Non-proliferation:
NRRC places great importance to the international obligations within the competence and functions of NRRC, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the subsequent Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA). Following the Kingdom's commitment to the NPT and CSA, NRRC has been working on the development and management of the national accounting system for accounting and control of nuclear materials and the preparation of the relevant regulations. In this regard, NRRC also controls nuclear related items (i.e., material, goods, technology, software, and/or nuclear related information that is nuclear and non-nuclear dual-use materials, of which their uses are subject to declaration of the purpose of its use.
Response to Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies:
NRRC stands ready to respond and cooperate with international and national nuclear and radiological emergency situation, and is continuously participating in national response operations in collaboration with the relevant agencies in accordance with the National Emergency Response Plan for Radiological and Nuclear Accidents (NERPRNA). NRRC is responsible to activate the NERPRNA in the event of a radiological emergency in preventing or minimizinge the potential radiological consequences in the Kingdom.
The NRRC's response includes:
1. Response to any nuclear and radiological accidents by assessing the situation, and recommend activating the NERPRNA.
2. Search and recovery for radiation source.
3. Perform continuous environmental radiation monitoring, manage radiation early warning system, and conduct assessment of radiation levels.
4. Identify the paths and pathways of radiation exposure to humans and the environment during radiation emergencies and nuclear accidents.
5. Determine the levels of intervention during radiological and nuclear emergencies.
6. Monitor pattern of the spread of radioactive materials from the source of the accident in the various environmental media and recommending the necessary preventive measures for the protection of human beings and the environment.
7. Analyze and assess nuclear and radiological accidents.
8. Conducting radiometric surveys and monitoring radioactive contamination in elements of the environment during and after an emergency and rectifying the situation.
9. Coordinate with the (IAEA) in receiving and reporting nuclear accidents and radiological emergencies with the Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC).