“IAEA Collaborating Centres are one of our key cooperation mechanisms, and I am very happy that JAEA is now part of this exclusive group of institutions” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “Radiological characterization is very important in the decommissioning process, so I’m glad to see that Member States can benefit from Japan’s extensive experience through various R&D projects and training programmes.”
The IAEA foresees increased work in the coming decades for decommissioning and associated waste management programmes. Many of the world's 443 nuclear power reactors currently in operation will phase out of service, while new reactors to be commissioned will need plans to fund their decommissioning. A total of 197 power reactors have been shut down for decommissioning, with 17 of them fully decommissioned. In addition, 130 fuel cycle facilities have been decommissioned as well as about 440 research reactors.
Together with the IAEA, JAEA plans to enhance Member States’ capabilities in decommissioning nuclear facilities by developing a calculation system, procedures, and data library to evaluate radioactive inventory. This will help promote safe and cost-effective decommissioning of reactor facilities.
The JAEA is the fifth IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of decommissioning, with specific experience in dismantling and other activities related to the final stage of a nuclear facility’s lifecycle. The others include Italy’s Societa’ Gestione Impianti Nucleari (SOGIN), the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway, Électricité de France (EDF), and the Slovak Nuclear and Decommissioning Company (JAVYS).