Thirty-five nuclear regulators and operators from national regulatory authorities, technical support organizations and national organizations from 19 Member States of the Latin American region have taken part in a regional expert meeting in Uruguay from 5 to 9 December 2016. The meeting aimed to strengthen national capabilities in the decommissioning of medical, industrial and research facilities and in the safe management of radioactive waste (including sealed and unsealed disused radioactive sources) in participating Member States, and emphasized the importance of harmonizing related activities at the regional level. All participants at the meeting hold responsibilities for the decommissioning of small facilities and for radioactive waste management.
The meeting, organized by the IAEA in cooperation with the Regulatory Body of Uruguay (Autoridad Reguladora Nacional en Radioprotección (ARNR)) and co-funded by the European Commission, was the last in a series of three regional events held in 2016 within the framework of a regional IAEA technical cooperation project. The previous events focused on the licensing and inspection of radioactive waste management facilities and on safety assessments.
The meeting consisted of lectures, round tables, practical exercises and working sessions. Participants improved their capacity to develop and implement action plans for the decommissioning and dismantling of facilities and activities that use radioactive material, and for the safe predisposal management of radioactive waste. To support the development of these action plans, the participants exchanged their experiences in methods and techniques for facility dismantling and decontamination, as well as in the conduct of environmental impact assessments. Meeting participants were also introduced to the most recent IAEA Safety Standards and their application. In addition, the training provided a platform for Member States to share and compare their respective decommissioning programmes, analyse their strengths and weaknesses, and exchange experiences and good practices.
“Proper decommissioning is crucial for the safety and security of people and the environment, and the operator and the regulator have to work together closely,” explained Diego Telleria, IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist and Technical Officer for the regional project. “Decommissioning must already be foreseen when preparing for a new facility, and planned in advance. Through this meeting, the participants have gained a solid understanding of facilities decommissioning, and of the aspects that must be included in national regulations. This includes the plan for decommissioning, funding provisions, the recording and protection of information, and the criteria for the release of the sites for other uses,” he said.
Alejandro Nader, technical advisor at the ARNR and Director of the expert meeting, noted that the participating countries benefitted greatly from the opportunity to share their experiences at the national level. “This will surely contribute to harmonizing related activities within the region, in particular with regard to the management of disused radioactive sources,” Mr Nader said.
Proper decommissioning is crucial for the safety and security of people and the environment, and the operator and the regulator have to work together closely
