WPDD meets for the first time - NEA Online Bulletin June 2001

Nuclear Energy Agency Online Bulletin

June 2001

Radioactive Waste Management

Working Party on the Management of Materials from Decommissioning and Dismantling

The Working Party on the Management of Materials from Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) met for the first time on 17-18 May 2001 in Paris. Set up by the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), the WPDD brings together senior representatives of national organisations who have a broad overview of decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) issues through their work as regulators, implementers, R&D experts or policy makers. They include representatives from regulatory authorities, industrial decommissioners from the NEA Co-operative Programme on Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information on Nuclear Installation Decommissioning Projects (CPD), and cross-representation from the CNRA, the CRPPH and the RWMC. The Secretary of the EC Thematic Network is a member of the WPDD and the International Atomic Energy Agency also participates. This ensures close co-ordination among the international organisations involved. Participation from civil society organisations is to be considered on a case-by-case basis, and has already taken place through the active involvement at the first meeting of the Group of Municipalities with Nuclear Installations.

At its first meeting, the WPDD decided to proceed with the following activities:

create D&D national fact sheets through a database accessible to NEA technical committee members;
compile D&D national leaflets for distribution to the general public;
draw up a map of the ongoing international initiatives and a hierarchy of D&D guidance documents;
produce a brochure on the status, different approaches and issues involved in D&D;
participate in the activity on "Decommissioning cost and strategies" led by the NEA Nuclear Development Committee.

A programme review group was established, which will propose a work programme based on the issues raised during the first meeting. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Paris on 5-7 December 2001. Two topical sessions are scheduled in the interim on the safety case and the management of materials during D&D.

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