Update of the INPRO Methodology in the Area of Waste Management

Abstract

Judgment on the sustainable development of energy systems, including nuclear, should be based on the results of thorough, comprehensive, and unbiased assessment. To minimize the influence of human factors on assessment results, a systematic methodological approach for the evaluation of the sustainability of nuclear energy systems has been developed in the IAEA INPRO section based on the experience acquired in different countries. The methodology comprises several areas of a nuclear energy system (NES) assessment including the area of waste management. In this area it defines three major issues relevant to sustainability and the nine corresponding criteria to be used as assessment tools. Assessment of sustainability in the area of waste management is a part of the holistic system assessment to be performed to make reasonable judgments on sustainability.

The Influence of Radiation on Confinement Properties of Nuclear Waste Glasses

“…Safe and effective management of nuclear waste is crucial to ensure the sustainable utilization of nuclear energy [1]. Radioactive waste, which is a toxic by-product from nuclear fuel cycle, should be immobilized into a robust form (matrix) before its temporary storage and consequent disposal [2].…”

Challenges in Planning of Integrated Nuclear Waste Management

“…Nowadays, it is also needed to additionally focus on "soft issues" to address planning challenges which require more guidance to be developed, discussed, and shared with IAEA member states. Revision or update of published policy and strategy document [15] to address lessons learned in setting up updated policies and strategies as well as powerful analysis tools and methods [7,26,34,35] will contribute to implementation of integrated planning concept and to overall sustainability of NWM.…”

“…It is notable that, in reality, the ash waste from coalfuelled power plants typically contains some ~400 tonnes of toxic heavy metals including radioactive U and Th, and more than 5 × 10 3 tonnes of noxious gases which as a rule need purification before discharge [4]. The most important lesson learned from the past 60 years of the peaceful use of nuclear energy is to consider and account for nuclear waste management (NWM) even before the waste is generated and then integrate its management at the country level to provide trust to stakeholders which usually perceive nuclear waste as a problematic issue [5][6][7]. Indeed, adequate and highly effective NWM technologies are already developed and used both at international and national levels within most of the countries which use to a certain extent nuclear energy [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

“…Sustainability of nuclear energy is however impossible without assuring the general public that the nuclear waste is a manageable issue and is not a real burden to future generations which would otherwise contradict the fundamental safety principles of nuclear energy [14]. The direct consequence is that developers of more sustainable innovative reactors, advanced nuclear fuel cycle technologies, and novel nuclear applications should be fully aware of the importance of NWM including decommissioning phase waste and address it early on, in fact in the research and development (R & D) phase [7].…”