Speaker
Description
Several regulations regarding Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) management were published by the Indonesian Government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) consisting of requirements for NORM storage or disposal. To assist companies generating NORM in complying with the storage or disposal licensing requirements, BAPETEN has issued general guidelines for conducting a Radiation Safety Analysis (RSA). However, for two decades after the enactment of the regulations, the number of companies submitting RSA to BAPETEN have been dramatically less than the number of the mining industrial companies in Indonesia. There are only 20 licenses of NORM storage that have been issued by BAPETEN in 2020. NORM management in Indonesia currently faces a limited level of awareness, resources, and experiences on issues of radiation protection of NORM as the main challenges. Besides, strict regulation becomes the limiting factor for those applying for a NORM storage or disposal license. Considering these issues, a publication of reasonable and fair regulations engaging a broad range of policymakers and end-users becomes increasingly important. In addition to the preparation of applicable regulations for the industries, the workers and the public, the availability of supporting facilities (centralized or multiple dispersed facilities) is also very important in the NORM management. The regulatory aspect of NORM management in Indonesia, including the implementation, achievement, and challenges is fully discussed in this paper.
Keywords: NORM, RSA, storage, disposal, license
