Doha, The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Qatar has adopted the requirements for the national program for the management and treatment of radioactive wastes resulting from oil and gas production (NORM) in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This program aims to manage and safely treat radioactive waste to protect the environment from the hazards of these materials.
The Radiation Protection Department of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, in cooperation with the IAEA, updated the rules for managing natural radioactive waste resulting from the oil and gas industry, which were issued in 2013, in line with international standards in this field.
A group of international experts specializing in radioactive materials resulting from gas and oil production in Qatar (NORM) visited the ministry to provide technological and scientific recommendations, which aim to improve regulatory control and waste treatment while transferring scientific expertise to national personnel in the same field.
The Radiation Protection Department of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has also issued requirements for licensing companies that provide services related to NORM waste management. These requirements align with international radiation safety standards to protect humans and the environment from the associated dangers, enhancing regulatory control over NORM waste produced in the country.
These requirements encompass conditions for obtaining licenses for activities such as decontamination of equipment used in the oil and energy industry, training services in managing and treating these materials, and consultancy services in the same field.
The Radiation Protection Department said that to operate in any of these areas, companies or entities need to submit an application to the department and demonstrate their compliance with these requirements before being granted a license.
The adoption of the requirements of the national program for the management and treatment of radioactive waste resulting from oil and gas production (NORM) comes within the framework of the responsibilities assigned to the Radiation Protection Department at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change as a supervisory authority over radioactive activities and radioactive materials in the State of Qatar, in accordance with the Radiation Protection Law No. 31 of 2002 and the executive regulations issued thereunder.
Source: Qatar News Agency
