The decommissioning of WWER type nuclear power plants. Final report on an IAEA regional technical co-operation project

Numerous WWER-440 nuclear power plants are in operation in central and eastern Europe and a small number have already been shut down. In addition to reactors already shut down, many other reactors will reach the end of their design lifetime in a few years and become candidates for decommissioning. It is unfortunate that little consideration was devoted to decommissioning of WWER-440 reactors at the plant design and construction stage, and little emphasis was placed on planning for decommissioning. It is within this context that the IAEA launched a regional technical co-operation project in 1994 with the aim of providing guidance on planning and management of decommissioning for WWERs. The project, which had a duration of four years (1995-1998), included the organization of workshops and scientific visits to countries having WWERs and other countries where active decommissioning projects were under way. Eventually, participants suggested the consolidation of expert guidance and collective opinions into a TECDOC, which was drafted by both designated participants from project recipient countries and invited experts. The TECDOC has the aim of serving as a stimulus for all concerned parties in central and eastern European countries to initiate concrete decommissioning planning, including assessment of existing and required resources for the eventual implementation of decommissioning plans. In addition, the regional technical co-operation project has managed to bring together in this TECDOC a number of good practices that could be useful in WWER-440 decommissioning