Decommissioning and remediation: Enhancing safety of the public and the environment

Nuclear science and technology have many beneficial peaceful uses, including the generation of energy and the production of radioisotopes for use in cancer treatment. All nuclear materials must be carefully disposed of when they, and the facilities housing them, come to the end of their useful lives. For countries embarking on new nuclear power programmes, preliminary plans for the eventual decommissioning of reactors and the safe disposal of material such as spent nuclear fuel are now developed before the first brick is laid. Advance plans are also made for how this should be funded. However, this was not always the case: When many of the more than 400 nuclear power reactors operating in the world today were built, there was no such requirement. Many countries are now implementing or devising plans for decommissioning such facilities. The IAEA helps them to do so, bringing its international expertise and nearly six decades of experience to bear. This issue of the IAEA Bulletin highlights good practices in action around the world