ABSTRACT
Comprehensive nuclear legislation comprising safety, security, liability and licensing requirements is needed for the effective operation of nuclear installations. An adequate and transparent regulatory framework is essential for controlling the activities and all types of nuclear installation. Many states having commercial nuclear programmes have ratified nuclear treaties and have developed their own legislative schemes to implement the obligations under those treaties. This domestic legal framework consists of a liability regime, nuclear waste management, nuclear safety and decommissioning. Many national legal frameworks implement the principles of the third-party liability Conventions’, and impose financial security requirements which vary from state to state. 1 In those states where the nuclear power plants are state-owned, separation between regulation and operation of nuclear power plants is maintained. Generally, the power of control of licensing and regulating nuclear operation is vested in the state or government agency while responsibility for the operational functions is entrusted to operators. Different states have quite different arrangements for the implementation and enforcement of the law. In many states, a single piece of legislation covers all aspects of the operation of nuclear installations, nuclear safety and security and management of radioactive waste.
