About us
The use of nuclear energy serves important national economic and social objectives, during which special attention shall be paid to the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste, in order to protect humanity and the environment. This viewpoint is well-reflected in the Atomic Energy Act of Hungary (Act CXVI. of 1996):
"During the use of atomic energy, the safe final disposal of the generated radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel shall be provided in line with the latest justified scientific results and the international recommendations and experience in such a way that the future generations shall not be burdened more than acceptable."
Section 40 of the Atomic Energy Act clearly states:
"An organization designated by the Government shall make a proposal for the national policy and programme on the management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel and revision thereof, perform tasks related to the final disposal of radioactive wastes, the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and the closing of the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as the decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear facilities."
According to Section 62 of the Atomic Energy Act, the tasks listed above shall be financed from a Central Nuclear Financial Fund (KNPA). KNPA was established on January 1 in 1998, and it is administered by the Energy Ministry.
By Government Decree 2414/1997. (XII. 17.), the Hungarian Government authorized the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) to establish a non-profit organisation under the name of "Radioactive Waste Management Non-profit Company” to perform all tasks specified in Section 40 of the Atomic Energy Act. The managing director of HAEA - considering all applicable legal regulations -, submitted the statute of incorporation for registration on June 2 in 1998. On January 7, 2008 the Radioactive Waste Management Non-profit Company was transformed into the Public Limited Company for Radioactive Waste Management (PURAM). As of December 1, 2022, the Energy Ministry has adopted ownership over PURAM, pursuant to Annex 1, Chapter XII to Decree 1/2022 (V.26.) GFM on the designation of those exercising all ownership rights and obligations over certain state-owned companies.
The tasks of PURAM are defined in the Governmental Decree 215/2013. (VI. 21.) as authorized by Section 67, point f) of the Atomic Energy Act. According to the governmental decree, PURAM performs tasks related to design, installation and storage activities, the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the closing of the nuclear fuel cycle. The company may employ specialists or contractors to fulfil its tasks.
One of PURAM’s design tasks is to submit a proposal on the national policy on radioactive waste and spent fuel management, as well as on the national program on the application of the national policy, which shall be reviewed every five years. Another task of the company is to review the medium- and long-term plans of the activities to be financed from the Central Nuclear Financial Fund (KNPA) annually. Based on this review, the company submits a proposal on next year's KNPA budget, if the proposal is accepted, an annual work program is developed on the activities funded by the KNPA. The detailed operational budget of our company is described in our annual business plan, as approved by the owner.
In performing our tasks, we comply with domestic legislation on public procurement. The procedures for authorizing, conducting, documenting, and recording specific procurement processes meet the relevant requirements. Our accounting policy has been developed and is applied in accordance with the applicable legislation on accounting.
Judit NÉMETHNÉ SZEGHŐ
Director of Coordination and Finance
PURAM's activities are continuously monitored by the KNPA administrator, the Supervisory Board, as well as the State Audit Office, and their inspections confirm that the company performs its tasks efficiently and in accordance with the legislation.
Act LIII of 1995 on the General Rules of Environmental Protection and its Implementing Decrees also include environmental and social policy principles and requirements affecting PURAM's activities. These stipulate that the storage of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel is subject to an environmental impact assessment, and that the results thereof shall be presented in an environmental impact study during the licensing procedure. The environmental authority shall make the license application and its annexes, as well as a comprehensible summary thereof, available to the local and surrounding communities, municipalities, and other stakeholders, and shall provide them with the opportunity to express their opinions at a public hearing.
Besides providing information as specified by Section 10/A. of the Atomic Energy Act, PURAM - as the licensee of the radioactive waste repositories and the spent fuel interim storage facility-, also informs the citizens of those municipalities that surround the existing or planned storage and disposal facilities via local Controlling and Information Associations, for the purpose of direct communication and trust building. The associations near a facility or a planned facility receive funding from the KNPA in, which can be used to cover costs related to providing information, performing inspections, operation of the association, and development of the municipalities.
In line with our quality and environmental policy, PURAM operates an integrated quality assurance and environmental management system according to standards MSZ EN ISO 9001:2008 and MSZ EN ISO 14001:2004 which is regularly monitored by an accredited certification body.