WASTE MANAGEMENT | ARTEMIS REVIEWS


Above: Germany’s Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety was able to demonstrate progress on the safe management of radioactive waste Photo credit: Mo Photography Berlin/Shutterstock.com


● Assessing resources to govern the national programme on radioactive waste and spent fuel management in Finland and considering the need for redundancy in competence.


Liisa Heikinheimo, Deputy Director General, Energy Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, said, “The review is especially important for our progress with the first operating licence for Posiva’s spent nuclear fuel repository at ONKALO.”


First missions of 2023 ARTEMIS teams have already been on two missions to European countries with nuclear power programmes. Both recognised good practice. In public information following a mission to Slovakia


in February, the team highlighted Slokavia’s progress in decommissioning the V1 Bohunice power plant, which is scheduled for completion by 2027. The team said, “The application of an immediate dismantling strategy combined with the treatment of all materials arising from the decommissioning waste was considered outstanding and recognized as a good practice. The team commended significant efforts to minimize the waste volumes through effective segregation and conditioning.” The group’s recommendations included moving forward work on geological disposal, including proactively involving interested parties, including the public, in selecting the location of the geological disposal facility. It also advised the National Nuclear Fund to establish procedures for the “timely and regular” updating of the national programme for radioactive waste and spent fuel management. The most recent ARTEMIS mission to report visited Sweden, and it commended both the country’s “comprehensive, robust and well-functioning system” for waste and spent nuclear fuel management and the developing concept for spent fuel disposal and establishing


34 | June 2023 | www.neimagazine.com


a deep geological facility. The team recognized the way in which Sweden has developed and implemented the ‘kärnbränslesäkerhet’ (KB3 – nuclear fuel safety for spent fuel disposal) as good practice. The review team leader, François Besnus, Director of Radioactive Waste Safety Division of the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), said, “the government has established conditions for the KBS-3 technique to be developed into a mature concept, earning widespread support among stakeholders”. The mission advised Sweden to improve its national policies and strategies for non-nuclear radioactive waste that originates, for example, from industrial uses, research, or medical applications. It advised ensuring that safe management routes are made available for all types of radioactive waste and that sufficient resources are appropriately allocated for this purpose. It also recommended establishing a stakeholder forum to


coordinate preparations for the future disposal facility and using the national plan as a strategic planning component to monitor the implementation of the national policies. Daniel Westlén, State Secretary to the Minister for


Climate and the Environment. “We recognise that certain challenges remain to be addressed, in particular relating to the comprehensive provision of arrangements for long-term management of non-nuclear radioactive waste, and we will continue to work in these areas.” Both Slovakia and Sweden have plans to maintain


and increase their nuclear power programmes. In that process, public acceptance has a key role to play. The continuing focus of IAEA’s ARTEMIS programme on building a comprehensive and well-structured waste management programme, with the necessary funding and governance, supported by a stakeholder engagement and managed as an evolving programme, will be a crucial way to enable the industry’s waste management activity to become a positive reference for its new-build programme. ■


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