European and other examples of
bilateral and multilateral cooperation
in waste management
Wolfgang Kickmaier
Arius Association
Switzerland
With input from John Mathieson, NDA
INPRO Dialogue Forum on Global Nuclear Energy Sustainability:
Drivers and Impediments for Regional Cooperation
on the Way to Sustainable Nuclear Energy Systems
30 July – 3 August 2012, Vienna
Overview
International organisations
IAEA
AAEA
OECD NEA
Multinational collaboration
IFNEC - International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation
EDRAM - International Association for Environmentally
Safe Disposal of Radioactive Materials
Arius - Association for International and Regional
Underground Storage
European-specific collaboration
Club of Agencies
7th Framework Programme R&D
Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform
(IGD-TP)
SAPIERR; ERDO
Conclusions
International Organisations
High level strategic
advice from the IAEA
IAEA Reports on
Multilateral Waste
Management
Issues
New NE Report
Options for Management
of SNF and Radwaste
For Countries
Developing
Nuclear Power
(in prep.)
The AAEA
A sub-organization of The Arab League;
established in 1989
The structure of AAEA is similar to that
of IAEA; General Conference, Executive
Council
Promotes peaceful application of atomic
energy through many activities; training,
CRPs, meetings and conferences…..
13 Arab states are members of AAEA
League Of Arab States (22 Countries)
Gulf Countries:
UAE
KSA
Qatar
Oman
Bahrain
Kuwait
Population:
≈ 340 Million
(US ≈ 312 Million; EC ≈ 500 Million)
Other Arab Countries:
Lebanon
Syria
Jordan
Palestine
Yemen
Iraq
African Countries:
Algeria
Morocco
Tunisia
Libya
Egypt
Sudan
Somalia
Djibouti
Comoros
In red:
Mauritania
AAEA members
AAEA - Types of activities
Activities include:
Co-ordinated research projects, experts
meetings, scientific visits, training courses, on-job
training, workshops, conferences, seminars and
expert missions.
Contributing in knowledge and technology transfer
in nuclear field by providing the universities and
colleges with proper curricula.
Publishing and translate many books in different
fields of nuclear sciences.
Publishing a quarterly newsletter.
http://www.aaea.org.tn/en/goals.htm
OECD-NEA
• Radioactive Waste Management Committee:
organizes most work in this area
– Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC)
– Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC)
– Working Party on Management of Materials from
Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD)
• Committee on Radioprotection and Public Health (CRPP): also has
relevant activities
• see also: Country reports/profiles www.oecd-nea.org/rwm/profiles/
Multinational Collaboration
International Framework for Nuclear Energy
Cooperation (IFNEC)
Participants
1. Argentina
2. Armenia
3. Australia
4. Bulgaria
5. Canada
6. China
7. Estonia
22. Oman
23. Poland
24. Romania
25. Russia
26. Senegal
27. Slovakia
28. Ukraine
8. France
29. U.A.E
9. Germany
10. Ghana
11. Hungary
12. Italy
13. Japan
14. Jordan
15. Kazakhstan
16. Kenya
17. Republic of Korea
18. Kuwait
19. Lithuania
20. Morocco
21. Netherlands
30. U.K.
31. U.S.
Observer Organizations
Observer Countries
1. International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA)
2. Generation IV
International Forum (GIF)
3. Euratom
1. Algeria
2. Bahrain
3. Bangladesh
4. Belgium
5. Brazil
6. Chile
7. Czech Republic
22. South Africa
23. Spain
24. Sweden
25. Switzerland
26. Tanzania
27. Tunisia
28. Turkey
8. Egypt
29. Uganda
9. Finland
10. Georgia
11. Greece
12. Indonesia
13. Latvia
14. Malaysia
15. Mexico
16. Mongolia
17. Nigeria
18. Philippines
19. Qatar
20. Singapore
21. Slovakia
30. Vietnam
IFNEC provides a forum
for cooperation among
participating states to
explore mutually
beneficial approaches to
ensure the use of nuclear
energy
61 Countries and 3
International
Organizations
IFNEC - Radioactive Waste Management
Original Gobal Nuclear Enegery partnership (GNEP) renamed to
IFNEC in June 2010
The Radioactive Waste Management Subgroup (of IDWG)
reinforces the importance of radioactive waste management
Working from a consolidated topic list
• Research and Development
• Funding and institutional arrangements
• Interactions with stakeholders
• Safe and secure storage and transport of used fuel and radioactive
waste prior to disposition
• Opportunities and constraints for regional and/or shared disposal
facilities
• Opportunities for changing how human resources are developed
• Will be addressing waste issues for Small Modular Reactors
EDRAM
International Association for Environmentally Safe
Disposal of Radioactive Materials
• Discuss strategic questions among implementers to support
their individual approaches on policy issues.
• Stimulate coordinated R&D activities, particularly in URLs
• Define positions, coordinate actions, in dealing with
international organisations (e.g. OECD, IAEA, EU)
• No active project work currently
ARIUS
Association for Regional and International Underground Storage
 Arius is a non-profit Association established 2002 in
Switzerland to concepts for socially acceptable,
international and regional solutions for environmentally
safe, secure and economic storage and disposal of
long-lived radioactive wastes
 Arius has led projects to achieve this mission with the
involvement of organisations from many European countries:
organisations from the countries below participated in the
SAPIERR I or II projects
 Currently Arius is also involved in the MENA and the
SEA regions
Austria*
Belgium
Bulgaria*
Czech Rep
Estonia
Hungary
Ireland*
Italy*
www.arius-world.org
Latvia
Lithuania*
Netherlands*
Poland*
Romania*
Slovakia*
Slovenia*
Spain
Switzerland *governments have
nominated
UK
representatives to
participate in the
ERDO-WG
The potential of shared
solutions
in
Europe
National
disposal
programme
only
The 14
SAPIERR
Working
Group
members
??
No NPP but
some waste
for deep
disposal
No official
policy on
multinational
European-specific collaboration
EU Club of Agencies
POSIVA
SKB
ALARA
ZUOP
BAPA
RATA
COVRA
BfS & DBE
NDA
RAWRA
ONDRAF/NIRAS
DECOM
ANDRA
PURAM
NAGRA
ARAO
ENRESA
AN&DR
DPRAO/SERAW
Nucleco
EU Club of Agencies
• Open to any Member State who has created a
separate/dedicated WMO
– Expanded at each accession of new MS
– European Commission (DG Energy – Secretariat)
– Plus NAGRA (CH)
• Sharing of experiences within EU context
• Interaction with DG ENER and DG Research
– Provides informal advice to EC (e.g. on draft Directives
and their implementation)
– And R&D (superseded by IGD-TP)
• Meets 2x / year since 1985!
From bilateral to multinational Cooperation
Development of cooperation at the
Grimsel Test Site (Nagra)
EU R&D – FP7 2007
The framework programmes are the biggest
funder of collaborative projects
• 7th Framework Programme (2007- 2013) of Fission R&D
(287m)
• A new programme ‘Horizon 2020’ is in the planning stage
(launch of first calls 2014)
• R&D Activities related to geological disposal (& P&T)
• Organisations in EU countries plus others
• Good financial leverage of R&D activities – EU co funds
• Originally fundamental R&D, now more towards
implementation, hence IGD-TP
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/euratom-fission/home_en.html
Implementing Geological Disposal
Technology Platform
“The mission of the IGDTP is to be a tool to
support confidencebuilding in the safety and
implementation of deep
geological disposal
solutions.”
Involves many EU, WMOs
& universities, research
institutes etc. within and
outside of Europe
www.igdtp.eu / www.snetp.eu/
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Other related EU Collaboration
• European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group
www.ensreg.org
–
–
–
Created in 2007 at the decision of the European Commission
Senior officials from the national nuclear safety, radioactive waste safety or radiation
protection regulatory authorities from all 27 Member States
Helping to establish the conditions for continuous improvement and to reach a common
understanding in the areas of nuclear safety and radioactive waste management
• Western European Nuclear Regulator’s Association
www.wenra.org
–
A network of Chief Regulators of EU countries, Switzerland, and other
European countries with observer status (Ukraine, Armenia, Russia ...)
• European Nuclear Energy Forum
(http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/forum/forum_en.htm)
–
–
Founded in 2007, ENEF gathers all relevant stakeholders in the
nuclear field
ENEF is a platform for a broad discussion, free of any taboos, on transparency
issues as well as the opportunities and risks of nuclear energy
European Municipalities
It’s not just institutions / organisations that collaborate
• Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities
• GMF commitments are:
– Ensuring that European nuclear municipalities take part in the
discussion forums and in the decision making processes
– Carrying out projects with the participation of its members in
order to favour their integration in the European Union
– Information exchange about the nuclear reality in the European
countries and about municipal experiences
– Improving the knowledge about nuclear reality in Europe, its
safety and its future.
http://www.gmfeurope.org/web/principal.html
The European
SAPIERR and ERDO Projects
Support Action: Pilot Initiative for
European Regional Repositories (2003 - 2005)
Strategic Action Plan for Implementation of
European Regional Repositories (2006 - 2008)
II
I
1.
technical disposal
solutions
2. programme timescales
3. national & EU legal issues
4. costs
1.
organisational structures
2. liabilities
3. economics
4. security issues
5. societal issues
Set the framework for ERDO-WG as the
next step forward
A Credible Disposal Strategy
Interim + Long-term Storage
Technical Disposal Concept(s)
Established Financing Mechanisms
Potential Repository Siting Options
(a key component)
(safe, secure)
(conservative,
segregated)
(the hardest part)
“Dual Track”
National Siting Options
Multinational Siting Options
Leasing or
Regional
Take Back
Partnerships
ERDO-WG: Mission Statement
.......work together to address common challenges of
safely managing the long-lived radioactive wastes in our
countries.
.......investigate feasibility of establishing a formal, joint
European waste management organization.
.......carry out all necessary groundwork to enable
establishment of a European Repository Development
Organization as a working entity and present a
consensus proposal to our governments.
....if sufficiently broad consensus is achieved by our
governments or their representatives, ERDO will be
established at the end of this process.
ERDO-WG: Status
Group was established in 2009
10 countries* nominated representatives; other interested
Terms of references and outreach programme agreed
Key ERDO Documents have been prepared:
ERDO Model Constitution (Draft Articles of Incorporation)
ERDO Operational Guidelines
Approach to Repository Siting Guidelines
8 meetings: Brussels, Prague, Vlissingen (2),
Rome, Bratislava, Vienna (2)
Submitted proposals to all EU Member States in late 2011
Time to complete its work difficult to predict but closely
linked to EU Directive: probably around 18 months (end 2013)?
* Austria, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia,
Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia, Denmark
www.erdo.eu
The Route to a Solution:
ERDO-WG  ERDO  ERO
2009
ERDO-WG
Working
Group to lay
the
foundations
for the
ERDO
≈ 2012-13
≈ 2025
ERDO
ERO
European
Repository
Development
Organisation
Investigation of Sites
European
Repository
Organisation
Preferred Site: trigger for ERO
Binding host agreements
times uncertain/flexible
European Repository Development
Organisation (ERDO): Concept
Basic studies complete - time to move from research to
implementation
START SMALL- move forward in adaptive, staged manner
2009/13: Ad-hoc working group (ERDO-WG) to agree
organisational framework and project plan and allocate funds
2013/14: earliest establishment of formal ERDO
~2020: Possible conversion to commercial European
Repository Organisation (ERO) as project moves towards
licensing
Success in Europe may show the way ahead for other world
regions such as the Central- and South America, Middle
East, Africa and South East Asia
A Multiplicity of Stakeholders
The Partnership
ERDO and the ‘Siting Problem’
“But which country will be the host?
..you will never find a country that is willing to
host a repository for other people’s waste”
...but there is a way forward, modelled on the
best international practice being pursued today
Finding a repository site
Basis: voluntary, interested host communities
Inclusive process, led by ERDO working directly with
national team members and local volunteer communities
No national governmental declaration of willingness to
be a host is required at the outset
Allows national governments to follow a “dual track”
approach: national and regional options
Potential host communities and countries will emerge after
a lengthy process of negotiation
Country can withdraw from process at any time up to
final siting decision
A host and its neighbours....
HOST could be:
Community
County
Region
Country
NEIGHBOUR
could also be:
Community
County
Region
Country
...relations with neighbours is a matter of scale not principle, nor process
Nuclear Engineering International, May 2008
...a bottom-up, volunteer approach from communities
Perceived Negative Interactions & Implications
of Co-existence
Host community concern that national GDF will eventually be
opened up commercially to other nations
European law may force a NP with an operational GDF to
accept waste from another European country
MNPs presented as unethical because they derogate the
responsibility of a country to manage its own wastes
Focus on MNPs may distract and slow down NPs at a critical
time in their development
Existence of MNPs may allow countries to take a ‘do
nothing’ approach to their wastes, in the hope that a solution
will be found for them
Public criticism of MNPs can both undermine the MNPs and
rebound to affect NPs
….. but
Advantages of
Multinational Repositories
Economy of scale
(Earlier) access to safe disposal facilities
Enhanced global nuclear security
Lower environmental impact
Wider choice of geological conditions
Increased technical potential
Existing and potential new nuclear power nations:
can the ERDO model be adapted for use in other
regions?
ERDO
N. Africa
S.E. Asia
Arabian
Gulf
Central
and South
America
Arius has started a pilot project, supported by US charitable
foundations (Hewlett and Sloan Foundations), to explore the
potential interest and adaptability of the concept in some of
these regions
Conclusions
National, regional and international organisations, initiatives,
associations or projects offer active platforms / networks for
all stakeholder groups – it’s never too early to get involved in
waste management
ERDO-WG developed a model for a multinational European
repository, which could be adopted to other regions; proposals
were submitted to EU member states
Related studies underway for MENA and SEA regions
Partnership, transparency, openness and the dual track approach
are key essences for a successful implementation
National and multinational repository projects have to go through
exactly the same technical and stakeholder steps
International cooperation should never be used as an argument
to postpone a decision or to establish a wait and see strategy
The End