1. Nuclear decommissioning: Turning waste into Wealth
Legislation, health and safety regulations
Tzany Kokalova
University of Birmingham

2. Overview Topics for discussion Site monitoring strategies and methods
Hazard identification and reduction
Environmental impact/risk assessment
Environmental principles applicable to site decommissioning
Strategies and technologies

3. Decommissioning policy 1
Typical elements of a decommissioning policy:
Allocation of responsibilities
Provision of resources
Decommissioning approaches
Safety and security objectives

4. Decommissioning policy 2
Typical elements of a decommissioning policy:
Radioactive waste management
Waste minimisation
End points for decommissioning
Public information and participation

5. Decommissioning strategy 3
Factors influencing the choice of strategy
Meeting policy requirements
Availability of resources
Costs
Spent fuel and radioactive waste management
Ask the students which factors they think will be influencing the choice of strategy and then Discuss with them details about the meaning of each of the factors. (see p.25 – 28 in File: Decommissioning policies and strategies IAEA.pdf )
Also additional information in
Decommissioning on NPP and research reactors.pdf

6. Decommissioning strategy 4
Factors influencing the choice of strategy
Safety and security
Regulatory aspects
Multiple facilities
Knowledge management
Ask the students which factors they think will be influencing the choice of strategy and then Discuss with them details about the meaning of each of the factors. (see p.25 – 28 in File: Decommissioning policies and strategies IAEA.pdf )
Also additional information in
Decommissioning on NPP and research reactors.pdf

7. Principles 1 The IAEA nuclear energy basic principles Benefits
Transparency
Protection of people and the environment
Security

8. Principles 2 The IAEA nuclear energy basic principles
Non-proliferation
Long term efficiency
Resource efficiency
Continual improvement

9. Principles 3 The IAEA fundamental safety principles
Responsibility for safety
Role of government
Leadership and management for safety
Justification of facilities and activities
Optimisation of protection

10. Principles 4 The IAEA fundamental safety principles
Limitation of risks to individual
Protection of present and future generations
Prevention of accidents
Emergency preparedness and response
Protective actions to reduce existing or unregulated radiation risks.

11. Decommissioning Assessment Comparison optimisation
Characterisation results
Assessment
Dismantling procedures: (hands on, semi-remote or fully remote working)
Radiological protection
Waste
classification
Resulting cost
Comparison optimisation
Selection of a decommissioning strategy – immediate OR deferred dismantling

12. Health and safety considerations 1
Decommissioning of a shut down nuclear reactor is a necessary step to reduce radiological hazards in accordance with national policy.
Similarly, adequate attention must be paid to the health and safety of workers who must be protected from radiological and non-radiological hazards associated with the characterisation activities.
ALARP principle (in America called ALARA)
Discuss with students what the ALARP Principle is:
What is ALARP ?
ALARP is an acronym for As Low As Reasonably Practicable. This is a radiation safety principle for minimizing radiation doses and releases of radioactive materials by employing all reasonable methods.
ALARP is not only a sound safety principle, but is a regulatory requirement for all radiation safety programs.

13. Health and safety considerations 2
The results of the characterisation can be used for further planning of the decommissioning work to:
Provide dose assessments
Provide risk assessments
Assess various scenarios to ensure compliance with the ALARP principle
Identify the types of safety and radiological protection required for the protection of workers, general public and environment.
ALARP principle (in America called ALARA)
Discuss with students what the ALARP Principle is:
What is ALARP ?
ALARP is an acronym for As Low As Reasonably Practicable. This is a radiation safety principle for minimizing radiation doses and releases of radioactive materials by employing all reasonable methods.
ALARP is not only a sound safety principle, but is a regulatory requirement for all radiation safety programs.

14. Bibliography 1
Sources
Radiological Characterization of Shut Down Nuclear Reactors for Decommissioning Purposes, IAEA TECHNICAL REPORTS SERIES No. 389.
National Policies and Regulations for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities, IAEA-TECDOC-714.

15. Bibliography 2
Sources
Policies and Strategies for the Decommissioning of Nuclear and Radiological Facilities, IAEA NUCLEAR ENERGY SERIES No. NW-G-2.1.

16. Copyright information
This resource “new name”, is a derivative of “W2W Legislation” by The Royal Society of Chemistry used under CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0. “new name” is licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 by “name of user”.