International Conference on Advancing the Global Implementation of Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation Programmes CN-238

THE OPERATION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD OF ECOLOGICAL CONTROL OF DECOMMISSIONING NUCLEAR SITES

26 May 2016, 15:00

3h

Madrid

Poster Young Generation Young Professional Session - Poster

Speaker

Dr Pavel Belousov (INPE NRNU MEPhI)

Description

Nuclear decommissioning is the process whereby a nuclear power plant site is dismantled to the point that it no longer requires measures for radiation protection. The presence of radioactive material necessitates processes that are occupationally dangerous, hazardous to the natural environment, expensive, and time-intensive.[1] Decommissioning is an administrative and technical process. It includes clean-up of radioactive materials and progressive demolition of the plant. Once a facility is fully decommissioned, no radiologic danger should persist. The costs of decommissioning are spread over the lifetime of a facility and saved in a decommissioning fund. After a facility has been completely decommissioned, it is released from regulatory control and the plant licensee is no longer responsible for its nuclear safety. Decommissioning may proceed all the way to "greenfield" status [2]. The life cycle of the NPP comprises steps of: design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance, nuclear waste management, development, decommissioning. An important step for the social society is the decommissioning. In this case, there is deterioration in the economic and environmental climate in the region where the NPP was operated. Perhaps an important role can be played by environmental NGOs. The goals of environmental NGOs include but are not limited to: creating relationships with the government and other organizations, offering training and assistance in agricultural conservation to maximize the use of local resources, establishing environmental solutions, and managing projects implemented to address issues affecting a particular area [3]. Environmental NGOs are organizations that are not run by federal or state governments but rather have funds issued to them by governments, private donors, corporations, and other institutions [4]. In order to fully understand the social, economic, and environmental effects an organization can have on a region, it is important to note that the organization can act outside the formal processes that state governments and other government institutions must comply with. It was decided to develop a program of «Non-governmental monitoring in nuclear power» at International Youth Forum of Power Engineers and Industrialists «Forsage 2015». Nuclear Experts from CIS countries decided to invite environmental NGOs to jointly develop such a program. There are some environmental NGOs in Russian Federation. One such organization is the "OKA" NGO. The organization has experience in environmental expeditions to nuclear power plants and other nuclear sites. The development of this program for environmental NGOs will increase the effectiveness of public environmental monitoring and the radiation safety of nuclear facilities. It will also improve a public opinion towards nuclear energy. References [1] Benjamin K. Sovacool. "A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia", Journal of Contemporary Asia, Vol. 40, No. 3, August 2010, p. 373. [2] "Fact Sheets: Decommissioning Of Nuclear Power Plants". National Energy Institute. Retrieved 2014-06-19 [3] Keese, James R. (1998). "International NGOs and Land Use Change in Southern Highland Region of Ecuador". Human Ecology 26: 451–468. [4] Pamela Chasek, ed. 2000 The Global Environment in the Twenty-First Century: Prospects for International Cooperation. United Nations University.