The government has set aside €2.2 million towards building its nuclear regulatory body.
The money has been given to the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) to set up the regulator in 2027.
The TTJA will issue permits and conduct nuclear oversight, hiring 13 specialists initially and aiming for around 40 over four years.
Though no nuclear plant is currently under construction, building one, including Small Modular Reactor (SMR) types, has long been discussed.
The explanatory memorandum to the Nuclear Energy Act, passed this summer, notes the state’s aim is to create the legal framework needed to enable the development of nuclear energy in Estonia in a safe and responsible manner. Estonia has had no competent authority when it comes to nuclear safety supervision, the document notes.
The TTJA is now being designated as that authority, and will begin issuing permits and conducting nuclear oversight.
Maanus Urb, an adviser at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, said the planned nuclear regulator will assess nuclear safety. He added that although no nuclear plant is currently being built in Estonia, the regulator is still required, given the potential locations for a plant are being scoped out.
“These are being mapped. Once they are mapped, it will be possible to move to the next stages. So this is being done in phases. For that, an adequate authority is needed that knows how to assess it,” Urb said.
TTJA deputy director general Lauri Kütt said new personnel will be hired to get the nuclear regulator off the ground.
“According to the current plan, the aim is to hire 13 specialists, but across the whole project over four years the goal is to reach around 40 people,” Kütt explained.
Kütt added that the €2.2 million the authority is receiving has a set purpose, that is, to allow the state to carry out independent oversight. The funds will be used for training and personnel costs. Expert opinions will also be commissioned, Kütt noted.
Although under current plans the nuclear regulator project is valid for four years, Kütt believes this may change over time.
Several potential locations have been earmarked for a proposed nuclear power station, all of them close to the Baltic Sea coast to meet the requirements for the cooling water needed in the process.
Estonia has never had a nuclear power station, though two reactors operated at the nuclear submarine base in Paldiski during the Soviet occupation. These were decommissioned after independence.
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