RSLS Annual Workshop, Sibiu, Romania ~ 07 September 2015 RSLS Summary of Activities and 3 Year Work Plan Ron Stenson RSLS Scientific Secretary Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety Waste and Environmental Safety Section Decommissioning and Remediation Unit International Atomic Energy Agency
Objectives To Discuss: What is RSLS? What has been done Future vision Working forward 2
Context Historically the expansion of commercial and military uses of radioactive material led to the development of many nuclear facilities worldwide. In many countries, these facilities were built and operated before a regulatory infrastructure was in place to ensure that they were safely managed and effectively decommissioned at the end of their useful life. The legacy from this build-up is that many countries now have orphaned nuclear facilities or areas where less than protective practices have left contaminated land with long-lived radioactive and toxic residues that pose substantial environmental and health concerns. 3
Regulatory Supervision of Legacy Sites The International Forum on the Regulatory Supervision of Legacy Sites (RSLS) is focused on efforts to better regulate existing sites and facilities and to avoid the creation of new legacy sites through strong, independent regulatory oversight. RSLS is entering its second cycle and has a new work plan. Its original Terms of Reference have not changed. 4
Overarching Lessons Since 2010 all activities have highlighted the following overarching issues Funding of remediation is always the biggest hurdle All legacy sites are the result of poorly defined and enforced regulation A national inventory of legacy sites is required for proper prioritization of limited resources. 5
Overarching Lessons (2) Very few countries have legislation specific to legacy sites interpretation of existing laws and processes is always required Long-lived contaminants require long-term thinking. Post remediation monitoring and management is essential for sustainable safety 6
Overarching Lessons (3) All existing sites require some interim safety measures Soft institutional control immediate or intermediate safety measures 7
Available Information CONNECT website All presentations from 5 Annual Meetings Summary, LoP, Agenda All Presentations from 3 Workshops USA, Canada, Moscow Some photos Links to related information 8
Working forward RSLS has the mission to explore, gather and disseminate information of a more general nature to all Member States. RSLS provides a unique opportunity for Member States to discuss issues that impact them all or are more specific to just a few. RSLS tries to highlight best practices by providing an opportunity to visit legacy sites and discuss issues directly with local regulators and operators. 9
Working forward (2) 2015/16 ~ Publish a TECDOC that summaries the work of three working groups on: WG1 Enhancing the Regulatory Infrastructure WG2 Safety Assessment Methods & Environmental Impact Assessment WG3 Professional Development for Regulators 10
Working forward (3) 2015 Workshop with site visits in Romania (Sep 7-11) 2016 Workshop with site visits (April / May) 6th Annual Meeting in Vienna (October) 11
Working forward (4) Uranium legacy will remain a focus of RSLS Other legacy issues will also be explored Radium, NORM (especially as it pertains to mining) Industrial sites Legacy waste sites Legacy military sites (as appropriate) 12
Working forward (5) Each year a workshop and an annual meeting will have a common theme 2015 - Uranium mine closure and remediation in resource challenged countries Each year a summary document of presentations and discussions on that theme will be published (TECDOC) Some plans for focused research into useful themes are being considered Best practice in interpreting existing (not specifically to legacy) regulations / guidance for application to legacy sites 13
Thank you for listening 14