SUSTAINABILITY | DECONTAMINATION & DECOMMISSIONING Government, owner and operator interest in a circular
economy influences the potential for achieving circularity, as do the views of local community stakeholders and the public. Stakeholder and public input is key to consider when planning for decommissioning, but since opinions may change, this can be a challenge. It is not uncommon that external voices are raised in favour of preserving reactor buildings once they are about to be demolished, which is a sign that acceptance and support for site repurposing likely increase over time.
Looking ahead To leverage the advantages that a circular economy offers, further work is needed to understand what a circular approach to nuclear decommissioning entails. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recognises the importance of viewing nuclear back-end management from a circular economy perspective and has organised several events to share best practices. “IAEA widely supports sustainability and circular
economy considerations in nuclear decommissioning that are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” says Christophe Xerri, director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology. Besides benefiting society at large, a circular
approach to nuclear decommissioning has advantages
for nuclear owners and operators. Vladimir Michal, the Decommissioning Team leader in IAEA’s Section on Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation, explains: “Decommissioning of nuclear facilities based on sustainability and circular economy principles can bring together significant benefits, including less waste, lower costs and reduced risk of implementation delays. It is also a great way to engage stakeholders and encourage effective communication with the public.” Given the different prerequisites and interpretations of what nuclear circularity means, a framework needs to be developed that has different processes for existing and future reactors. International collaboration is key in this area, to ensure applicability, regardless of regulatory requirements. Since regulations and standards greatly impact circularity
potential, new guidance is needed to ensure that the requirements posed do not prevent — and better, actively encourage — a nuclear licensee to embrace circularity principles.
The timing for developing a framework and revisiting
regulations and standards from a circularity perspective could not be better. Where several countries have ambitions to build a large fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs), the nuclear industry, host communities and broader society have a lot to gain if they can be designed for a truly circular lifecycle. ■
Pipeline Decommissioning and New Connections
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www.neimagazine.com | October 2021 | 27
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