June 22, 2021
The 70-year decommissioning program of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), including the long-term disposal of residual waste, provides a good basis for effective implementation in the future, according to a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The team made several recommendations to help the JAEA increase the effectiveness of its decommissioning activities, including in the area of waste management.
The Monju prototype of a fast breeder reactor (Image: Nuclear Fuel and Power Reactor Development Corporation / IAEA)
The Japanese government asked the mission to review JAEA’s so-called “back-end roadmap,” a long-term program to shut down 79 nuclear research and development facilities over a period of 70 years. These facilities include prototype power reactors and research reactors, reprocessing and other fuel cycle plants, and waste disposal plants and associated processing and disposal plants for radioactive waste. The current decommissioning program focuses on three main plants: the Tokai reprocessing plant, the prototype of the Monju fast breeder reactor and the advanced Fugen thermal reactor. The roadmap does not cover Japan’s fleet of commercial nuclear power plants or facilities from other research institutes or universities.
Integrated Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Verification Services (ARTEMIS) (ARTEMIS) provide independent expert opinions and advice from an international team of experts appointed by the IAEA. The reviews are based on the safety standards and technical guidelines of the IAEA as well as international best practices. This service is aimed at facility operators and organizations responsible for the disposal of radioactive waste, as well as at supervisory authorities, national decision-makers and other decision-makers.
The IAEA team today released the final report of an ARTEMIS review that took place April 12-22. Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the review was conducted in a hybrid form. The review team – consisting of eight experts from Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Great Britain and the USA as well as three IAEA employees – met in Vienna or participated from their home locations. They held virtual meetings with Japanese counterparts from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and JAEA.
The ARTEMIS mission reviewed the overall adequacy of the JAEA decommissioning and waste management program, the associated cost estimation methods and approaches to ensure effective program implementation.
The team said JAEA is in a good position to continue to meet high standards of safe and responsible management of decommissioning, radioactive waste and used fuel. The team emphasized the professionalism in the design and implementation of the roadmap as well as the commitment to security in all aspects. The team noted that the achievements of JAEA’s technology development can benefit the future decommissioning and waste treatment program and welcomed the establishment of a centralized management structure at JAEA.
“JAEA has developed a praiseworthy roadmap that sets the direction of its future decommissioning and disposal program while adequately highlighting the challenges,” said Francesco Troiani, ARTEMIS Team Leader, Director of Development and Technological Innovation at Sogin, the Italian state-owned company responsible for the decommissioning and disposal of radioactive waste is responsible. “The lessons learned from this mission will also benefit the international community.”
The team provided recommendations and suggestions to help JAEA increase the effectiveness of the roadmap. These include: reviewing a number of options to more clearly separate organizational and resource responsibility for research and development and decommissioning to increase focus on each mission; Develop an integrated schedule for the entire decommissioning and waste management program, identify key risks and opportunities, and improve methodology for assessing decommissioning costs; Prepare for delays in the development of disposal facilities and provide suitable waste storage capacity for the transition period; and promoting the expansion of the supply of industrial supplier organizations with decommissioning skills, with a long-term perspective and implementing a framework to ensure that their own staff has the skills necessary to execute the roadmap.
“The ARTEMIS team has tremendous expertise in decommissioning and waste management,” said Ito Yoichi, Executive Vice President of JAEA. “The detailed findings of the team will guide us in the implementation of the roadmap in the future.”
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
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