Reactor decommissioning in a deregulated market

Full text: Deregulation of the electricity markets in North America and Western Europe has had many profound effects on the electric utilities and the nuclear industry. Deregulation has led to cost transparency, increased competition, and a drive by the utilities to reduce costs in order to maintain market share and margins. In the context of this more competitive and dynamic market having a clear picture of decommissioning liabilities and their successful discharge has a material impact on the financial performance of a utility. This paper will summarise BNFL Environmental Services' experience with regard to its experience in both the planning and implementation phases of a reactor decommissioning project. In particular it will demonstrate how commercial projects in crucial areas of strategy development, project implementation and site restoration, can be combined with an approach that is both commercial and innovative to reduce the risks to a utility. This paper sets out to demonstrate this viewpoint. (author)