Building optimization into the process for decommissioning, remediation of legacy sites and facilities, and management of the wastes arising: results of an international workshop

Abstract

The coordinated organisation of decommissioning, remediation of legacy sites and facilities and management of the resultant waste materials has long been recognized as complex, involving technical challenges, safety and security issues, and a wide range of stakeholder interests. To help address these matters, an international workshop was held in November 2019 in Tromsø, jointly organized by the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority and the Nuclear Energy Agency, in cooperation with the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The workshop was the third in series hosted by DSA. The first, in 2015, considered regulatory supervision of legacy sites from recognition to resolution; the second, in 2017, considered the need for an overall process, recognising the links between legacies and the decommissioning of major nuclear installations, the management of contaminated areas and the management of the corresponding radioactive waste. The focus of the Tromsø workshop was on incorporating optimization into that overall process. Attendance included 66 participants from 17 countries, as well as representatives from international organizations. The 29 presentations and associated discussion resulted in a set of recommendations supporting the development of a coherent and practical framework for optimization of decommissioning, legacy site management, and related waste management activities. This paper provides an overview of the presented material and discussion, and provides further information and suggestions for taking forward the recommendations. It is hoped that these ideas, along with the many further inputs from other international organisations and forums, will support the completion of work to implement these recommendations, leading to international guidance on the construction of an overall process for decommissioning and legacy management from a multidisciplinary perspective. That guidance should support holistically optimised management of current projects and help to avoid the future creation of new legacies.

Keywords: decommissioning; legacy sites and facilities; optimisation; radioactive waste.