The global community is becoming ever more demanding about the performance of the nuclear installations over their entir
2012 GC Side Event at the IAEA General Conference
Addressing the Constraints to Implementing Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation in IAEA Member States 19 September 2012, M4
Opening Address by Juan-Carlos Lentijo, Director, Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
Your Excellency, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, The global community is becoming ever more demanding about the performance of the nuclear installations over their entire lifecycle. Such demands go beyond issues of safety and economy and are concerned with the issue of sustainability of nuclear power as a source for energy production. The IAEA’s basic principles for nuclear energy require that this energy should be efficient in the use of the natural resources. This is linked to the general principle of sustainability, which, among others, demands that no undue burdens from the use of nuclear energy are passed on to the future generations. This means e.g., that long-term solutions should be developed for dealing with waste resulting from the operation of nuclear installations and appropriate financial provisions put in place where final repositories cannot be developed in the lifetime of one generation. More broadly, sustainability also implies that solutions should be developed for the long-term use of sites where nuclear facilities are located. The public needs to be satisfied that the fuel cycle can be closed in all respects and that nuclear sites can be returned to other uses in time, with the unique exception of some limited situations where the site itself becomes the location for a long-term repository for the waste and then it remains under institutional control over an extended period of time. Looking at the situation globally, it is necessary to make greater progress with decommissioning and the remediation of sites, always bearing in mind the issue of the public acceptance. In recent years, significant progress has been achieved in several countries, as some decommissioning projects have been successfully conducted. The technologies needed both for decommissioning and for remediation are available today and great advances are being made
continuously in applying innovations, such as the use of laser technology and robotics. With the Fukushima accident, significant challenges have arisen in relation with both the decommissioning of a severe damaged facility and the remediation of large contaminated offsite areas. Again, the challenge includes the allocation of technological issues and the public engagement. The availability of funding for decommissioning and remediation projects is a matter of considerable constraint in several Member States. However, this is an aspect in which the international community needs to be involved, as these issues have implications beyond national boundaries. There are a number of potential benefits from taking a multinational approach to decommissioning and remediation. These include the access to technologies and human expertise that otherwise may not be available in a particular Member State. Better mechanisms for sharing of information are likely to be an important element of achieving faster progress with decommissioning and remediation programmes in future. The initiative that began at last year’s Side Event has advanced substantially since then. A major survey has been launched by the IAEA with the aim of gaining a more precise understanding of the global situation and of the major constraints applying in different Member States. The results from this survey, once analysed, will provide a sound basis for a discussion with Member States and international stakeholders on what further steps could be taken by the international community in this field and the role of the IAEA in particular. This discussion will take place in a special Technical Meeting to be organized in Vienna early next year. I am convinced that the panel discussion planned as part of today’s event will provide important perspectives on the above issues, and will be helpful in framing the planned Technical Meeting. I wish to express my gratitude to the panellists for their contribution to the event, and in particular to Her Excellency, the British Ambassador, for sponsoring this event and for the continued support for this initiative from the United Kingdom.
