A review of decommissioning considerations for new reactors

At a time of 'nuclear renaissance' when the focus is on advanced reactor designs and construction, it is easy to overlook the decommissioning considerations because such a stage in the life of the new reactors will be some sixty years down the road. Yet, one of the lessons learned from major decommissioning projects has been that decommissioning was not given much thought when these reactors were designed three or four decades ago. Hence, the time to examine what decommissioning considerations should be taken into account is right from the design stage with regular updates of the decommissioning strategy and plans throughout the life cycle of the reactor. Designing D and D into the new reactor designs is necessary to ensure that the tail end costs of the nuclear power are manageable. Such considerations during the design stage will facilitate a more cost-effective, safe and timely decommissioning of the facility when a reactor is eventually retired. This paper examines the current regulatory and industry design guidance for the new reactors with respect to the decommissioning issues and provides a review of the design considerations that can help optimize the reactor designs for the eventual decommissioning. (authors)