SPECIAL REPORT | DECOMMISSIONING CHALLENGE
Above: Due to the age of many nuclear power plants, decommissioning will become a more and more important activity as the first generation of nuclear power plants like Muhlberg reach the end of their design lives
When most of the storage systems were put into
operation, they were designed to last between 20 and 50 years. As these systems reach the end of their lifespans, work is under way to develop additional monitoring and inspection techniques and on re-licensing of these activities. The analysis highlights reports from several states of
progress in decommissioning legacy facilities and the remediation of legacy sites, although the remediation of uranium mines has remained a major technical and financial challenge. Some states identified the need to establish a national strategy for dealing with legacy sites, including the need to build new facilities for the safe management of the waste arising Radioactive waste storage and disposal needs are
increasing globally. Recent years have seen more progress in legislative and regulatory frameworks, political and social dialogue and in technical of facilities for final waste disposal. However, the long period required to move from
framework to implementation means that in the vast majority of cases, storage capabilities are required until the final disposal route becomes available. Many national programmes either do not have final
disposal capabilities for each class of radioactive waste or their resources are insufficient. The need to manage decommissioning waste is one of the drivers in adapting and improving existing facilities for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. These improvements include the introduction of new techniques and technologies, such as facilities for the decontamination of waste, metal smelting plants and the use of new containers and configurations for the storage and disposal of this type of waste. The VLLW class was introduced only in the beginning of the 2000s, but the concept has matured rapidly. Many countries have established national systems and specific facilities to manage this type of waste and many of them have one or more disposal facilities to implement these programmes.
Above: Spent fuel, high level waste (HLW) and most ILW remain in safe storage, rather than final disposal 18 | November 2024 |
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