International comparison of nuclear facilities decommissioning

While the initial phase of the peaceful uses of nuclear power in the sixties saw most of the effort being devoted to planning and building nuclear facilities, the problems associated with the decommissioning and demolition of these early plants are now becoming more and more topical. Decommissioning is important in both technical and economic respects, and is politically relevant in the light of the societal discussion it entails. As a consequence, the necessary development effort for the decommissioning sector has been carried out consistently, and suitable solutions have been elaborated systematically. Decommissioning nuclear facilities comprises all administration, technical, and financial measures, from the final discontinuation of power or research operations through the post-operating phase with fuel disposal and disposal of radioactive plant waste, through demolition and on to the restoration of greenfield conditions. The problem encountered in, and the solutions found for, decommissioning were treated in depth within national and international research projects, and the results were documented and presented in detail. This issue of atw focuses on the subject of decommissioning in four articles - this one included - and deals with this subject under different aspects. (orig.)