Uzbekistan Approves Emergency Notification System for Nuclear Power Plants

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Committee for Industrial, Radiation, and Nuclear Safety under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan has approved comprehensive instructions for declaring plant-level emergency states, transmitting operational data, and organizing emergency response procedures during radiation threats at nuclear power plants.

The decree (No. 49), issued on 29 July 2026, was registered with the Ministry of Justice on 19 August 2026 and officially published on 20 August 2026. The regulation was enacted pursuant to Uzbekistan's Law "On the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy" and Presidential Decree No. PF-224. The document was finalized in coordination with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Atomic Energy Agency, and the Academy of Sciences.

The instructions establish two internal operational states at the plant level:

• "Emergency Readiness": A state of operational preparation for management bodies, forces, and resources to implement accident-prevention actions when a radiation threat exists.
• "Emergency State": An active emergency management mode aimed at containing, mitigating, and eliminating the consequences of an active radiation incident.

The "Emergency Readiness" state is triggered by breaches of safe operation parameters, radiation dose rates exceeding established thresholds, or external natural and man-made impacts—such as earthquakes, explosions, fires, or flooding—that impair safety-critical systems.

The "Emergency State" is declared when radiation dose rates reach higher critical thresholds or when the head of the operating organization initiates beyond-design-basis accident protocols, including severe accident management guidelines.

The regulation sets specific ionizing radiation dose rate thresholds across key plant sectors:

• Controlled Access Rooms (constant personnel presence): 10 µSv/h for Emergency Readiness; 600 µSv/h for Emergency State.
• Plant Site and Sanitary-Protection Zone: 2.5 µSv/h for Emergency Readiness; 200 µSv/h for Emergency State.
• Observation Zone: 0.1 µSv/h above natural background radiation for Emergency Readiness; 20 µSv/h for Emergency State.

Decisions to declare emergency states rest with the head of the operating organization or the acting director. If communication with leadership is impossible, the plant shift supervisor holds the authority to declare the emergency mode and must immediately notify management.

Prior to the initial delivery of nuclear fuel to the facility, the operating organization must approve formal notification protocols, form a permanent commission for radiation accident prevention and fire safety, and fully equip response teams.

Initial emergency reports must detail the plant name, power unit number, timestamp, declared state, verified or suspected causes, technological and radiological status, impact on personnel and the environment, and requirements for external assistance.

Throughout any emergency state, the operator must submit updated reports on radiation conditions, safety status, and containment efforts every 12 hours to the Safety Committee and the Atomic Energy Agency. Plant personnel must receive radiation updates at least once every 24 hours.

The regulations require the operator to establish a technical support group, an emergency response team, and both internal and external emergency management headquarters. Internal headquarters will operate from a protected command point on-site, while external headquarters will manage operations from a secure off-site location. Operator teams must conduct full plant-level emergency drills at least once per year.