IPPAS Mission 2023: International experts to review Swiss nuclear security regime

News, Posts, International Affairs, ENSI as regulatory body, IPPAS-Mission 2018/2023

Switzerland is to be reviewed by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) between 30 October and 10 November 2023, when the focus will be on national requirements and measures to protect nuclear installations and nuclear material, including radioactive material, from unauthorised actions.

The follow-up to the IPPAS Mission carried out in Switzerland in 2018 is scheduled to start on 30 October 2023, when specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be reviewing the security of nuclear installations, nuclear material and highly radioactive material in Switzerland over the course of the two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service IPPAS mission. They will focus on the protection offered against criminal activities, theft and sabotage. This is a follow-up to the 2018 IPPAS mission on nuclear installations and nuclear material, but the first mission covering highly radioactive material.

The IPPAS mission will be assessing:

  • general legal and regulatory conditions,
  • security and IT security of nuclear installations,
  • security of nuclear goods and
  • security of highly radioactive material during handling and storage.

The mission will be jointly arranged and carried out by ENSI, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and the Federal Office of Public Health. “The ability of the relevant organisations to collaborate well is crucial to strengthening nuclear security in Switzerland in the long run,” ENSI Director General Marc Kenzelmann explains.

Switzerland was previously reviewed by the IAEA’s Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) in 1998/2003, 2011/2015 and in 2021, and by the International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) in 2005 and 2018. IAEA IRRS missions examine nuclear safety, whereas IPPAS missions advise on nuclear security.

At the end of the mission, the IAEA will issue recommendations on how Switzerland can continue to improve its security regime.