At the National Centre for Nuclear Research, we hosted representatives of the Polish Atomic Energy Agency and the Swedish Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection. The meeting took place as part of a cooperation agreement between the Polish and Swedish nuclear regulatory authorities.

On the initiative of the President of the Polish Atomic Energy Agency, Andrzej Głowacki, the Institute in Otwock-Świerk was visited by representatives of the Swedish Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection, led by Director-General Michael Knochenhauer.

The visit to the NCBJ was one of the highlights of the Swedish delegation’s visit as part of the cooperation initiated in 2024 between Poland and Sweden. This cooperation concerns the exchange of experiences in the field of nuclear safety and radiological protection. The September visit was also intended to showcase Poland’s only research reactor, MARIA. The Swedes are currently preparing to build such infrastructure and are interested in how such facilities operate, including those in Poland.

The guests were welcomed by Prof. Agnieszka Pollo, PhD, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs, who presented the activities of the National Centre for Nuclear Research, including the planned construction of the new HTGR-POLA reactor. Prof. Mariusz Dąbrowski provided details of the construction.

The delegation’s visit concluded at the MARIA reactor, where representatives of the PAA and the Swedish Nuclear Safety Authority were shown round by the Director of the Department of Nuclear Facility Operations – Jakub Jodłowski, MSc (Eng). Director Jodłowski spoke about the operation of the MARIA reactor itself, its construction, and the laboratories located there. Details regarding safety and radiation protection were provided by Grzegorz Krzysztoszek, Deputy Director for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, as well as Paweł Nowakowski, MSc Eng, from the MARIA Reactor Operations Department, Marek Migdal, MSc Eng, from the Reactor Research Department, and Iwona Zagubień, MSc.