Organization And Management For Decommissioning Of Large Nuclear Facilities

Provides information on the management of the decommissioning of large nuclear facilities with an emphasis on organisational aspects. The report identifies the general issues to be addressed and provides an overview of the organisational activities necessary to manage a decommissioning project in a safe, timely and cost effective manner.

This publication reflects the results of an IAEA coordinated research project on non-technical aspects of decommissioning. Operating experience and lessons learned during full-scale applications, as well as national programmes and plans, are among the most significant achievements. The results help to improve understanding of specific characteristics of the decommissioning process that are important in the planning and implementation of decommissioning. The information provided will be particularly useful to Member States that are currently planning or implementing decommissioning of their nuclear facilities.

Explores the development and improvement of decommissioning planning and management techniques with a focus on organisational aspects, reducing the duplication of efforts by different parties through transfer of experience and know-how, and providing useful results for those Member States implementing decommissioning projects.

Recent decades have seen a significant increase in the number of decommissioning projects undertaken globally. Decommissioning technologies have advanced, driven by innovations in digitization and robotics, and the Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) methodology is now being applied to the decommissioning phase of all types of nuclear facilities. This publication provides practical information and examples of good practices in training personnel for decommissioning activities, based on Member States’ experience, including guidance on the application of SAT methodology. The increasing use of digital and web-based tools to enhance competence development for implementation of decommissioning programmes is also discussed.

Nuclear Decommissioning Case Studies: Organization and Management, Economics, and Staying in Business is the fifth volume in Michele Laraia’s series, which presents a selection of global case studies on different aspects of nuclear decommissioning. This volume focuses on organization, economics and performance experience, offering the reader guidance on project management, staffing, costs and funding, and training. It guides those responsible for the planning and implementation of nuclear decommissioning to ensure thorough and reliable applications. Decommissioning experts, including regulators, operating organizations, waste managers, researchers, and academics will find this book to be suitable supplementary material to reference works on the theory and applications of nuclear decommissioning. Readers will obtain an understanding of many key case studies, including what happened and what they can learn from the events quoted, to help supplement, solidify, and strengthen their understanding of the topic. Presents a selection of global case studies which focus on organization, economics and performance of nuclear decommissioning in relation to project and industry sustainability, with a focus on management, funding, and training aspects Includes 100+ case studies on project management, costs and funding, and teaching and learning Based on experience and lessons learned, assists the reader in developing and implementing decommissioning plans while ensuring the availability of technical, financial, and human resources at all times

In recent years, several Member States have completed the decommissioning of multifacility nuclear sites. This publication consolidates their technical and organizational experience, and provides information and practical guidance that promotes safe, timely and cost effective implementation. All phases of decommissioning are discussed, from planning and dismantling to waste management and site release, as well as organizational schemes and funding. This publication is intended for decision makers, plant operators, contractors and regulators involved in planning, management, authorization and execution of decommissioning activities. It is particularly relevant for multifacility site operators with nuclear facilities approaching the end of their foreseen lifetime. The publication will also be of interest for the designers and builders of new nuclear installations in order to facilitate eventual decommissioning.

At a time when many older facilities are being decommissioned and many more are undergoing major retrofits to extend their lives, there is a wealth of information emerging to guide the design of new facilities. In this publication, the most important lessons learned in recent years are examined.

This book discusses the history of nuclear decommissioning as a science and industry. It explores the early, little-known period when the term “decommissioning” was not used in the nuclear context and the end-of-life operations of a nuclear facility were a low priority. It then describes the subsequent period when decommissioning was recognized as a separate phase of the nuclear lifecycle, before bringing readers up to date with today’s state of the art. The author addresses decommissioning as a mature industry in an era in which large, commercial nuclear reactors and other fuel-cycle installations have been fully dismantled, and their sites returned to other uses. The book also looks at the birth, growth and maturity of decommissioning, focusing on how new issues emerged, how these were gradually addressed, and the lessons learned from them. Further, it examines the technologies and management advances in science and industry that followed these solutions. Nuclear Decommissioning is a point of reference for industry researchers and decommissioning practitioners looking to enrich their knowledge of decommissioning in recent decades as well as the modern industry. The book is also of interest to historians and students who wish to learn more about the history of nuclear decommissioning.

As modern nuclear power programmes mature and large, commercial nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities approach the end of their useful life by reason of age, economics or change of policy on the use of nuclear power, new challenges associated with decommissioning and dismantling come to the fore. Politicians and the public may expect there to be a "right answer" to the choice of strategy for a particular type of facility, or even all facilities. Both this seminar and wider experience show that this is not the case. Local factors and national political positions have a significant input and often result in widely differing strategy approaches to broadly similar decommissioning projects. All facility owners represented at the seminar were able to demonstrate a rational process for strategy selection and compelling arguments for the choices made. In addition to the papers that were presented, these proceedings include a summary of the discussions that took place.