Regulatory framework and standards for decommissioning and environmental remediation; a case study of Ghana

Ghana's quest for expanding the horizon of her peaceful application of nuclear science and technology and in fulfilment of her international obligations especially the International Atomic Energy Agency's Fundamental Safety Principles and General Safety Requirements has led to the passage of Nuclear Regulatory Authority Bill 2014 by the Parliament of Ghana in August 2015 thereby paving the way for the deployment of Nuclear Power Plants into the national energy mix. Ghana currently runs a 30kW research reactor which is yet to be decommissioned. The country therefore does not have legacies from the development of nuclear energy, including the dismantling of redundant research and fuel cycle facilities, research reactors and nuclear power plants, and the remediation of former nuclear sites and those affected by past uranium mining and processing operations or other activities involving the use of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) or by major nuclear or radiological accidents. The Bill encompasses modern best practices in the nuclear industry with respect to regulatory framework and standards for decommissioning and environmental remediation. This paper is therefore meant to illuminate this vital aspect of the nuclear industry in Ghana. These include decommissioning plan, financing of decommissioning, obligations of authorized person for decommissioning and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The actualization of this bill will ensure that Ghana's current and future nuclear energy activities will not pose unbearable burden on generations yet unborn.