Milestones 1-3

Conceptually, in a safeguards regime, the national objective of the SSAC is to account for and control all nuclear material in the State. The interna­tional objective of the SSAC is to provide the essential basis for the applica­tion of IAEA safeguards and to support relevant regional or bilateral safeguards (such as those relating to nuclear-weapons-free zone treaties). In practice, many SSACs aim to meet both the national and international objectives for nuclear material accounting and control, plus the interna­tional objective of complying with other safeguards obligations (e. g., AP if in force, relevant nuclear-weapon-free zone treaty commitments, bilateral agreements with other States). In meeting these objectives, the main fea­tures of an SSAC would generally include at a minimum:

• The National Authority designated as the SSAC is independent of the facility operators.

• A framework is established (including legal and organizational ele­ments) that codifies the SSAC’s areas of responsibility, authority and regulation/control.

• Organizational and functional elements to support the safeguards regime are in place at the State level.

• Organizational and operational elements to support the safeguards regime are in place at the facility level as applicable.

From an operational point of view, the functions of an SSAC are carried out at two levels: the State level, implemented by the National Authority designated as the SSAC, and the facility level, which is implemented by facility operators. The State level is often responsible for the establishment of performance standards and implementation of safeguards requirements, and secondly, for confirming that the standards are maintained and the requirements met. An example of a performance standard is that the state system of accounting for and control of nuclear material[65] is effective concerning:

1. Maintaining and processing records of all nuclear material (showing types, amounts, locations, transfers) and of responsible individuals

2. Evaluating and reviewing the operation of the system for loss mecha­nisms, shipper/receiver differences, Material Unaccounted For (MUF), and measurement uncertainties associated with MUF.

An example of a safeguards requirement, by contrast, is that the SSAC is able to:

1. Support and maintain records of IAEA activities in the State (inspec­tions and complementary access)

2. Handle the information required by regional or bilateral safeguards agreements with other States

3. Prepare reports and declarations for internal evaluation and for submis­sion to outside bodies (e. g., the IAEA, other States and the Government), including AP declarations required by Articles 2 and 3 (if the AP is in

force)[66]

4. Assemble the safeguards relevant information together, facilitate analy­sis, and record findings

5. Report to the Government.

To confirm that the standards are maintained and the requirements met, the SSAC may consider the conduct of an audit and verification programme with the following objectives:

1. Verifying the correctness and completeness of submitted accounting and operating records and evaluating data for abnormal trends

2. Examining the facility design information and available/proposed oper­ating practices presented in the nuclear facility licence/permit applica­tion to see if relevant safeguards objectives can be met

3. Ensuring the capability and performance of operators to account for and control nuclear material as required by both the State and the IAEA

4. Ensuring the accounting and control measures are adequate and effec­tive to conclude the absence of unauthorized removal or use of the nuclear material

5. Conducting inspections during construction, commissioning and start­up of a facility, to confirm that the approved nuclear material accounting and control arrangements have been implemented

6. Performing audits investigating the qualification and training of key personnel

7. Performing audits investigating the accuracy of nuclear material mea­surement systems

8. Verifying the correctness and completeness of submitted additional pro­tocol declarations (if applicable).

At the facility level, the operator is confronted with implementing the relevant safeguards requirements contained in the CSA and AP (if in force), in addition to its other requirements mandated by the State (e. g., safety, security, radiation protection in accordance with the facility operat­ing licence and other requisite permits/licences at the national, regional or local level). From a safeguards perspective, this involves meeting or exceed­ing the safeguards-relevant standards and performance requirements laid down by the SSAC. In this respect, some of the most important safeguards- related functions to be performed by an operator involve:

1. Maintaining a system of nuclear material accounting and control, and reporting of nuclear material accounting and operating records

2. Maintaining and reporting safeguards-relevant facility design informa­tion (including, in cases of planned facilities, the early provision of design information) and facility design changes

3. Preparing and reporting additional protocol-relevant information, if applicable

4. Responding to IAEA or SSAC requests for clarification or explanation

5. Provisioning IAEA access to appropriate locations for the conduct of inspections, design information verification visits, and where applicable, complementary access, or for purposes related to the application of IAEA containment and surveillance systems (e. g., installation, mainte­nance, servicing, removal)

6. Addressing questions or inconsistencies identified by the IAEA or SSAC

7. Resolving any open discrepancy or anomaly if applicable.