Challenges in Planning of Integrated Nuclear Waste Management

Zoran Drace, Michael I. Ojovan () and Susanta Kumar Samanta
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Zoran Drace: Department of Nuclear Energy (Formerly with), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Michael I. Ojovan: Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX, UK
Susanta Kumar Samanta: Department of Nuclear Energy (Formerly with), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Kolkata 700094, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: Planning for integrated nuclear waste management (INWM) entails consideration of all generated waste from energy generation, nuclear fuel cycle and institutional facilities as well as waste from decommissioning and remediation of nuclear facilities, legacy waste, and eventual accident waste and requires establishment of different planning scenarios as well as control milestones to allow for adequate flexibility to address inevitable changes. An early assessment of waste management needs from development and use of advanced reactors and innovative nuclear fuel cycles is required to aid design and operation of such facilities as well as to understand their impact to overall waste management planning. Major prerequisites for approach to planning and establishment of INWM plans are discussed briefly. It is pointed out that five most important challenges in establishing and implementing the INWM plan needs to be addressed: (i) inventory; (ii) time frame for an integrated plan; (iii) assessment of facility needs; (iv) costs estimation (life-cycle cost analyses) and (v) funding and financing. The INWM has to promote strategic thinking within a broad framework resulting in a sustainable and sensible outcome for nuclear waste management at a strategic and national level.

Keywords: nuclear energy; nuclear waste; nuclear waste management; policy and strategy; integral planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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