Proceedings of the Workshop on the Management of Spent Fuel, Radioactive Waste, and Decommissioning in SMRs/Advanced Reactor Technologies. Ottawa, Canada, 7-10 November 2022

NEA/RWM/R(2024)1

Small modular reactor (SMR) technologies are gaining interest as countries seek to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining energy security. For these new technologies to be deployed in a timely manner, the management, storage, transport and disposal of their radioactive waste need to be closely examined at the early design stage. This is a question upon which the international nuclear and radioactive waste management community, particularly the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), are placing increasing focus. The NEA and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) organised an international workshop on 7-10 November 2022 on the implementation of radioactive waste management and decommissioning strategies in light water and Generation IV SMR technologies. The goal of the workshop, which took place in Ottawa, Canada, was to devise a guideline document that can help implementers understand key issues in the decommissioning and waste management of new reactors from the design perspective, aiding in the licensing process and in future decommissioning and waste management activities. This report captures the outcome of this workshop.