RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE & PREREQUISITES FOR A REPOSITORY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Transcription

1 RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE & PREREQUISITES FOR A REPOSITORY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Dr Paul DEGNAN Regional Training Course on: Development of a Near-Surface Disposal Facility BARC, Mumbai, February 2010

2 OVERVIEW Principle elements of national RWM infrastructure Financing schemes Establishing a RWMO Responsibilities of a RWMO

3 PRINCIPLE ELEMENTS OF NATIONAL RWM INFRASTRUCTURE

4 DEFINITION OF INFRASTRUCTURE Infrastructure is the basic physical and organisational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise Reference: Online Compact Oxford English Dictionary In this lecture, infrastructure will be used in the sense of the organisations and institutional resources that support the attainment of RWM Goals, as set out in government Policy.

5 REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE Need to implement Policy Need to develop RWM Strategy Need to allocate responsibility for managing RW Need to create a system for financing RWM Need to assure long-term RWM sustainability Need to identify missing capabilities (facilities, staff) Should seek to optimise RWM in a country Should seek to strengthen public confidence in RWM

6 MAJOR PLAYERS & KEY ROLES Government and state authorities - allocate responsibilities and develop appropriate policies and legislation Regulators (nuclear & non-nuclear) under state supervision for protection of the public, enforce legislation and may support strategy development RWMO develops strategy proposals & implements through to disposal or long-term storage NPP operators & other generators of RW/SF - Produce waste. Boundary with RWMO concerning responsibilities varies.

7 TYPICAL LAWS FOR RWM EACH REGULATOR BACKED BY LAW Atomic law basic responsibilities and procedures for operation of nuclear facilities Radioprotection law principles and measures for protection against the effects of ionising radiation EIA - principles and measures for protection of the environment Construction law - basic responsibilities and procedures for constructing facilities

8 OTHER PLAYERS & KEY ROLES Nuclear fund management body Institution responsible for managing RWM fund Advisory (oversight) body Organization/committee nominated to advise to policy-makers or to supervise an implementer Supporting institutions involved in RWM research, development and implementation - R&D institutions, universities, engineering and consulting companies General public - basic information about future intentions and priorities concerning RWM Media Inform or seek to influence Neighbouring countries may seek to partner and may seek to minimise adverse impacts (or perceptions) on own population

9 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE THE CLASSICAL TRIANGLE Regulators Policy Waste Generators $ Waste Disposer

10 EXTENDED TRIANGLE GOVERNMENT Nuclear Regulator Ministry of the Environment Responsible Ministry Waste Producers WM Agency Monitoring Institution/Board FUND Ministry of Finance Repositories

11 FINANCING SCHEMES FOR RWMO s

12 SECURING ADEQUATE FINANCING A KEY ELEMENT TO SUCCESS Need to ensure funding is: Sufficient Available when required (for a period that may be many decades). Easily accessible for the tasks in hand

13 FINANCING ISSUES Polluter Pays State Backup Guarantee Special Solutions for Small Producers Special Solutions for Legacy Waste The bulk of the WM costs will be spent fuel disposal costs These are future costs but based on today s electricity generation significant uncertainty about the actual costs in the future These costs should be paid by current electricity consumers Fund / Provisioning should be free of taxes

14 EXAMPLES OF FINANCING SCHEMES Country Agency Type Responsibilities Financing Scheme Belgium ONDRAF Public Integral Mgmt CR RAWRA Public Disposal France ANDRA Public Long-term WM Germany DBE Private Rep Const/Oper Netherlands COVRA Public Integral Mgmt Spain ENRESA Public Integral Mgmt Sweden SKB Private Integral Mgmt UK NDA Public Disposal Waste producer pays. Commitment to cover all costs. Tariff for small producers, annually revised. Waste producers cover all cost. Tariff for small producers. Fee on nuclear electricity paid by operator Waste producers and fuel cycle companies pay, annual budget (incl. R&D), tariff covers operational costs Small producers pay a fee, large producers pay a fee (Morsleben) and finance repository construction Fee for small producers. Payment into a fund for future costs Tariff for small producers. Fee on electricity paid by consumers. In future quota paid by large producers Fee for large producers paid into a fund, proportional to electricity production. Producers cover the costs, proportional to forecasts of required repository volume

15 SELECTING FINANCING SCHEME Need to bear in mind: Existing links and financing schemes Funding availability National budget vs. private Future costs (investments, operational) Liability costs

16 RWMO OWNERSHIP OPTIONS Part of the government administration Germany (BfS subcontracted to DBE), USA (OCRWM), South Africa (NECSA) Government owned companies Belgium (ONDRAF/NIRAS), Bulgaria (NPRAO) Czech Republic (RAWRA), France (ANDRA), Hungary (PURAM), Lithuania (RATA), Slovenia (ARAO), Netherlands (COVRA), Romania (ANDRAD) Private or partly private companies Finland (Posiva Oy), Japan (NUMO), Spain (ENRESA), Sweden (SKB), Switzerland (NAGRA) None of these schemes are necessarily favoured Based on national circumstances, it could be argued that there is a tendency for a transition of private into governmental companies

17 PROCEDURE FOR ESTABLISHING A RWMO (Introduction)

18 RWMO MISSION Protection of the Public and the Environment Against the Hazards from Radioactive Waste Therefore a Radioactive Waste Management Organisation is not just a Nuclear Organisation but is primarily an Environmental Protection Organization Not a Part of the Problem Part of the Solution

19 What Framework Needs to be in Place in Order to Commence a Disposal Project? Clear set of responsibilities, objectives, resources and operating space Systems & Processes Management Structure People Experience, Skills & Competencies Relationships Internal & External Finance Understanding What you know and what you need to know

20 UNDERTAKING A WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT AS A PREREQUISITE FOR ESTABLISHING A RWMO In order to undertake its waste management responsibilities, the following should be available or known through a waste management assessment: Inventory of radioactive substances (the location, amount, type and characteristics of existing and future radioactive substances in the Member State). The national radioactive waste classification system. Existing waste management infrastructure (if any). Availability of resources for the design and construction of new facilities. Availability of resources for undertaking site characterisation Availability of resources for developing safety cases as required Opportunities for integration (e.g. sharing of knowledge, facilities, mobile equipment, etc). An existing regulatory regime. Understanding concerning the expectations and interests of stakeholders and other concerned parties. Knowledge of waste management practices and facilities in other Member States

21 ASSESSING WASTE MANGEMENT NEEDS: HOW TO INITIATE A RWM PLAN Basic Methodology for Assessing Waste Management Needs Enumerate assumptions and bounds for assessment - define starting and end points of the assessment - define constraints and limitations (e.g. waste classification, categories, etc) Determine current inventories - establish existing waste inventory by source, classification, category, type, location, etc. - level of detail needs to be sufficient for purpose Forecast future waste arisings - establish planning scenarios (e.g. lifetime of future operations - gather and collate raw data inputs from waste generators - level of detail needs to be sufficient for purpose Determine appropriate waste management options - select reference options for treating and managing the various waste streams (e.g. to determine volume reduction factors, final waste forms, etc) Prepare forecast of resulting future waste inventories - based on forecast of future arisings and reference waste management options, calculate expected future waste inventory Prepare plan of future waste management needs - the future waste forecasts and the reference waste management options provide a basis for determining future waste management infrastructure needs (what needs to be built by when and perhaps where)

22 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A RWMO

23 DESIRABLE FEATURES OF A RWMO Develops the national RWM programme (existence of a national RWM strategy is promoted as essential and the RWMO generally supports this) Systematic and comprehensive implementation (all necessary technical and management activities are supported in balance) Source/distributor of objective information (should be independent, not affected by e.g. financial or political interests) Long term commitment (RWM includes activities with long-term duration/effect)

24 ALLOCATION OF RWM AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES TASKS for LILW TASKS for HLW OTHER TASKS COUNTRY AGENCY Collection Transport Treatment Storage Disposal Storage Disposal R&D Decom Belgium ONDRAF ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ Czech Republic RAWRA ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ France ANDRA ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ Germany BfS / DBE ۷ ۷ ۷ Netherlands COVRA ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ Spain ENRESA ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ Sweden SKB ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ ۷ UK NDA ۷ ۷ ۷

25 The Big Picture Implementer Responsibilities (1) Demonstrate and implement the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste through planning, construction, commissioning, operation, shut down, monitoring of repositories Setting waste acceptance criteria (hence should be independent from waste producers to avoid conflicts of interest) Carrying out research and execute site investigations, repository design studies and safety assessments

26 The Big Picture Implementer Responsibilities (2) Developing technical specifications to ensure facility construction, operation and closure is in accordance with regulatory requirements and conforms with safety case. Managing, supplying to the regulator and archiving all information relevant to the programme and transferring documents to any successor organisation after closure Involving all stakeholders in dialogue Establishing appropriate management systems

27 RWMO RESPONSIBILITIES MAY ALSO INCLUDE: Treatment & Conditioning of RW/SNF for disposal RW record keeping (national inventory) Transport of RW Administration of payments Proposal of fees for RW disposal Confirming cost estimates for decommissioning of nuclear facilities and auditing arisings Management of legacy waste Providing consultancy services in RWM

28 Management of a Disposal Programme: Internal and External Factors External Factors Internal Factors

29 TO SUMMARISE Constructing the National RWM structure is a necessary step in policy implementation it needs time and money Establishment of a RWMO is necessary to properly address long term commitments The form of the RWMO is not a contentious issue if it is non-profit making avoid a profit making body Creating a robust and long-term financing system is a key step There is no single recipe for success there are many national specifics

30 Thank you for your attention