Management of nuclear waste and spent fuels

The objective of the IAEA programme on Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management is to provide support to the IAEA Member States in establishing a proper safety framework for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. Activities under this programme include the development of IAEA safety standards for predisposal management and disposal of radioactive waste and spent fuel, the assistance to the Member States on the use and application of these Safety Standards, the coordination of the Waste Safety Standards Committee, and providing the Secretariat for the meetings of the Contracting Parties of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.

Both the development of the Safety Standards, as well as the activities related to their use and application, are aimed towards securing the best possible benefit to the IAEA Member States. As such the needs of the Members States are identified, inter alia, from:

·         The outcomes of international conferences, meetings and workshops

·         During meetings of the Safety Standards committees

·         Direct interactions with the Member States

International Projects

International projects and working groups are organized to work towards harmonization of approaches to the safety of predisposal management and disposal of radioactive waste, and to provide a forum of exchanges for the Member States.

Examples of such international projects include the CRAFT project which deals with the demonstration of safety of predisposal facilities, and thePRISM project, which deals with the demonstration of safety of near surface disposal facilities. In addition, an international Joint Working Group has been established to address the safety of dual purpose transport and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel in a holistic manner.

The development and implementation by the Member States of a comprehensive radioactive waste management strategy for high level waste and spent fuel, including disposal, is an important priority. In this regard, the GEOSAF project focuses on the demonstration of operational and long term safety of geological disposal facilities and the development of a specific programme on the disposal of high level waste and spent fuel.

There are currently no final disposal facilities in any of the Member States for high-level and long-lived radioactive waste generated in the use of nuclear energy. Not one final disposal site has been set up in the more than fifty years of existence of the nuclear industry and at present radioactive waste is held provisionally in interim storage facilities.

Radioactive waste consists of non-reusable and non-recyclable substances which, when discharged or disposed of, contain sufficient radionuclides (radioactive elements) to potentially impact on human health and the environment. In total, about 40 000 m³ of radioactive waste is produced each year in the European Union, of which about 80% is short-lived low-level radioactive waste. The volume of waste produced will increase following the accession of the candidate countries.

Disposal in stable geological repositories (granite, salt, clay) is considered to be the safest and most sustainable solution for the management of high-level and long-lived radioactive waste. However, years of research in underground laboratories will be needed in order to design and implement these repositories.

Radioactive waste has various origins but is mostly produced by the nuclear electricity industry. There are four main sources of radioactive waste:

·         the use of nuclear energy to produce electricity, including nuclear fuel-cycle activities;

·         the operation of research reactors;

·         the use of radiation and radioactive materials in medicine, agriculture, industry and research;

·         the processing of material containing naturally occurring radioactivity.

The proposal for a Directive

Existing EU legislation does not provide for specific rules to ensure that spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste is safely managed in an effective and consistent manner throughout the EU.

In view of this, the amended proposal for a Directive (FR)  applies to all stages of spent nuclear fuel management and obliges Member States to:

·         take all necessary measures to ensure that spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste are managed in such a way that individuals, society and the environment are protected against radiological hazards;

·         ensure that production of radioactive waste is kept to the lowest possible level;

·         take all the necessary legislative, regulatory and administrative measures and other steps required to ensure the safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste;

·         establish or designate a regulatory body entrusted with the implementation of the legislative and regulatory framework;

·         guarantee adequate financial resources to support the management of spent nuclear fuel while respecting the 'polluter pays' principle;

·         ensure effective public information and facilitate public participation in order to achieve a high level of transparency.

The proposal requires Member States to adopt national programmes for the disposal of radioactive waste in general and deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste in particular. If the proposed form of disposal is not yet possible, the Member State's programme must include a timetable of dates for licensing the development and operation of disposal sites.

There is a very broad international consensus amongst technical experts that geological disposal is the most suitable method for long-term management of the most hazardous forms of solid and solidified radioactive waste. The Commission has issued a timetable to Member States for dealing with the issue of deep disposal for all forms of radioactive waste:

·         identify sites for deep disposal by 2008;

·         authorise the operation of surface storage sites for short-lived low-level radioactive waste by 2013;

·         authorise the operation of geological repositories by 2018.

The programme may include shipments of radioactive waste or spent fuel to another Member State or third country.

Every three years each Member State must submit a report to the Commission on the status of management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste under its jurisdiction and progress made towards application of the future Directive. These reports are to be evaluated by a committee of experts appointed by each Member State.

The reports must describe all research and technological development, including information regarding costs, sources of financing and expected duration and dates of completion.

Lastly, the Commission must integrate all this information into a status report on the management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste in the EU that will be published every three years.