Speaker
Description
At the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, there is a need to ensure the safety of radioactive waste at all stages including its final disposal.
The NEA assists member countries in the development of safe, sustainable and societally acceptable strategies for the management of all types of radioactive waste. In addition, the NEA assists its member countries in their needs for developing, reviewing and updating effective safety cases supported by a robust scientific-technical basis. The work of the Agency in this area is co-ordinated through the radioactive Waste Committee in its subsidiary bodies.
As many radioactive waste disposal programmes rely on volunteer or consent-based siting, safety case communication is another important aspect that is common to all types of disposal facilities. The scientific and technical basis for disposal facilities should be accessible to all stakeholders to enable them to participate in the decision making process. In this respect, it is key to build trust and confidence in the licensing process, tailor communication, explanation or concertation towards different audiences, and be concerned about stakeholder needs.
As many nuclear power plants will reach the end of their operating lives over the next 20 years, decommissioning is an increasingly important topic for governments, regulators, industries and the public, among other stakeholders. Decommissioning activities must be carried out at the end of life of the nuclear facilities and sites. Some countries are further challenged with the decommissioning of legacy (i.e. complex) sites.
The NEA created the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM) was created in 2018 following the request from Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) member countries to enhance the NEA’s visibility in nuclear decommissioning and legacy management. The committee also aims to achieve collaborative advance of the state of the art of technical, environmental, policy, financial and societal aspects in its areas of work.
The work of these two Standing Technical Committees apply a holistic as well as a sustainable approach to dealing with radioactive waste management as well as in the area of decommissioning and legacy management. In this way, the committees systematically identify its activities by focusing on three aspects 1) regulatory and legal; 2) economic; and 3) societal. These aspects, according to the holistic approach accepted by the CDLM and RWMC, are considered in the context of three frameworks: legislative, organizational and regulatory.
| Speaker's title | Ms |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | OECD/NEA |
| Do you wish to participate as a Young Professional? | No |
| Do you wish to be considered for a Young Professional grant? | No |
