The Estonian parliament – Riigikogu adopted the Nuclear Energy and Safety Act (TEOS), which establishes, for the first time in Estonia, a comprehensive legal framework for the use of nuclear energy, the assurance of nuclear safety, and state oversight of the sector. The act lays the foundation for the potential future introduction of nuclear energy in Estonia and sets forth requirements for the entire life cycle of a nuclear facility—from planning and licensing procedures through operation, decommissioning, and final disposal of waste.

TRINITI advised the Estonian Ministry of Climate on mapping out the legal framework necessary to launch a nuclear program in Estonia and prepared the draft Nuclear Energy and Safety Act and its explanatory memorandum.

According to Tõnis Tamme, an attorney and partner at TRINITI, the adoption of the Nuclear Energy and Safety Act is a landmark step for Estonia’s energy policy: “The introduction of nuclear energy requires a very thorough and well-thought-out legal framework. At its core are safety, independent oversight, clear rules of liability, and risk mitigation throughout the entire life cycle of a nuclear facility.”

The draft of the Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Safety Act (TEOS) was prepared with the participation of attorneys-at-law Tõnis Tamme, Sten Veidebaum and Ain Kalme, lawyer Mart Eek, as well as external experts from the law firms Castletown Law (Scotland) and Waselius (Finland).