Speaker
Description
FINANCIAL PROVISIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND DISUSED SEALED RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN ZIMBABWE
L. Mazuru
Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe, 1 McCaw Drive. Avondale West. Harare
Email: lmazuru@rpaz.co.zw
Radioactive waste management is a critical element of radiation safety and security and the cradle-to-grave management of sealed radioactive sources. When sources become disused, they are no longer of economic value to the licensees, even though they still require appropriate management. Zimbabwe has a number of challenges associated with the management of disused radioactive sources, including failure to send sources back to supplier after they have become disused, legacy sources that were brought in before the onset of the Regulatory Body as well as limited financial resources. To manage this challenge, government has constructed a centralised radioactive waste management facility to be operationilised in 2023. Further, the Radiation Protection Amendment Bill has provided for the establishment of financial mechanisms through a waste management fund for the management of radioactive waste and disused sources. The objective of the Fund is to hold such levies as shall be prescribed in trust for the purpose of enabling the repatriation, management, storage, or disposal of radioactive sources previously in the custody of an authorised person who by reason of insolvency or any other event is incapable of discharging his or her obligations to repatriate, manage, store or dispose of the sources concerned. This shall ensure Zimbabwe has resources in place to ensure the cradle to grave management of sealed radioactive sources imported into the country and radioactive waste. The Fund shall ensure resourcing of the centralised waste management facility as well as an operation to manage legacy sources. The IAEA has also provided the Regulatory Body with expertise in developing a financing model for operationalisation of the centralised waste management facility.
REFERENCES
[1] THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, Radiation Protection Act [Chapter 15:15], Harare, (2004)
[2] THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, Radiation Protection Safety and Security Regulations, 2011 (Statutory Instrument 62 of 2011), Harare
