DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT D: BUDGETARY AFFAIRS NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING: MANAGEMENT OF COSTS AND RISKS STUDY Abstract The decommissioning of the shutdown reactors in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia is financially supported by the European Commission. The Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament has commissioned Öko-Institute with a study that analyses the best practice of selected decommissioning projects and contrasts those with the management in the three eastern European cases. The study identified best practices in the organization of the decommissioning projects in Germany and France. The comparison with the three eastern European countries identified several areas where the process organisation should be urgently improved and a clearer attribution of responsibilities is required. IP/D/CONT/IC/2013_054 25/11/2013 PE 490.680 EN This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control. It designated Mr Jens Geier to follow the research study. AUTHOR(S) Mr Gerhard Schmidt Ms Veronika Ustohalova Ms Anne Minhans Öko-Institute e.V., Rheinestrasse 95 D-64293 DARMSTADT http://www.oeko.de RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR Mr Alexandre MATHIS Policy Department on Budgetary Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] Editorial support: Ms Catarina DUARTE GOMES LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN Translation of the executive summary: FR and DE ABOUT THE EDITOR To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to its newsletter please write to: [email protected] Manuscript completed in November 2013. Brussels, © European Union, 2013. This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. Nuclear Decommissioning: Management of Costs and Risks ____________________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS CONTENTS 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 7 LIST OF TABLES 11 LIST OF FIGURES 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 15 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 20 SYNTHÈSE 25 1. INTRODUCTION AND TASKS 30 2. DECOMMISSIONING PROJECTS 32 2.1. The framework of decommissioning projects in Europe 32 2.2. Technical basis of decommissioning 37 2.2.1. Activation and contamination of the nuclear reactor during operation 37 2.2.2. The need for decommissioning of nuclear reactors 39 2.2.3. Basic strategic decision on decommissioning waste 40 2.2.4. Advanced decontamination 41 2.2.5. Strategic decisions on performing decommissioning in stages 41 2.2.6. Conclusions 43 2.3. Economic basis of decommissioning projects 44 2.3.1. Reliability of decommissioning cost estimates 44 2.3.2. Relevant decommissioning cost factors 44 2.3.3. Rough estimate of decommissioning costs for lightwater reactors 45 2.4. The organisation of decommissioning projects 45 2.4.1. Organisational aspects 46 2.4.2. Transitional issues 48 2.4.3. Strategic and operational decisions 49 2.4.4. Conclusions 51 3. IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BEST PRACTICES IN DECOMMISSIONING 52 3.1. Selection criteria for comparison 52 3 Policy Department D: Budgetary Affairs ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.2. Selected example from France: EDF 54 3.2.1. Overall framework of the decommissioning project 54 3.2.2. Organisation structure for the decommissioning 56 3.2.3. Project management 58 3.2.4. Risk management 59 3.2.5. Regulatory approach 59 3.2.6. Cost estimates 61 3.2.7. Workforce 66 3.2.8. Financial control 66 3.2.9. Overall characteristics of the example 69 3.3. Selected example from UK: NDA-Sellafield 71 3.3.1. Overall framework of the decommissioning project 71 3.3.2. Organisation structure of the decommissioning 72 3.3.3. Project management 73 3.3.4. Risk management 75 3.3.5. Regulatory approach 75 3.3.6. Cost estimates 75 3.3.7. Workforce 75 3.3.8. Financial control 77 3.3.9. Overall characteristics of the example 79 3.4. Selected example from Germany: EWN Greifswald 80 3.4.1. Overall framework of the decommissioning project of EWN 80 3.4.2. Responsibilities, decision making and control structures 81 3.4.3. Organisation structure of decommissioning and project management organisation 82 3.4.4. Risk management 86 3.4.5. Regulatory approach 88 3.4.6. Cost estimates 89 3.4.7. Workforce needs and qualifications 90 3.4.8. Overall characteristics of the example 91 4 Nuclear Decommissioning: Management of Costs and Risks ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.5. Best practices derived from the examples examined 92 3.5.1. Best practices identified 92 3.5.2. Basic decisions to be taken 93 4. DECOMMISSIONING IN BULGARIA, LITHUANIA AND SLOVAKIA 95 4.1. Reactor shutdown and general preparedness for the decommissioning phase 95 4.2. Fund establishment and control 97 4.3. The organisational framework of decommissioning in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia 99 4.3.1. Establishment of national organisational structures 100 4.3.2. Comparison and evaluation of the national organisational structures with best practice 102 4.3.3. Development of a proposal to strengthen the national framework 104 4.3.4. Recommendations 106 4.4. The management organisations for decommissioning in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia 107 4.4.1. Establishment of national organisations 107 4.4.2. Comparison and evaluation of the national organisations with best practice 109 4.4.3. Recommendations 111 4.5. Project and risk management 112 4.5.1. Project and risk management approach in the decommissioning projects 112 4.5.2. Comparison and evaluation of the project and risk management with best practice114 4.5.3. Recommendations for project and risk management 114 4.6. Regulatory approach 115 4.6.1. Regulatory approach in the decommissioning projects 115 4.6.2. Comparison and evaluation of the regulatory approach 118 4.6.3. Recommendations for the regulatory approach 118 4.7. Cost estimates 119 4.7.1. Cost estimates of the decommissioning projects 119 4.7.2. Comparison and evaluation of cost estimates 122 4.7.3. Recommendations on cost estimates 122 4.8. Workforce 122 4.8.1. Workforce aspects in the decommissioning projects 123 5 Policy Department D: Budgetary Affairs ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4.8.2. Comparison and evaluation of workforce aspects 124 4.8.3. Recommendations 124 4.9. Example of distributed responsibility: the plasma oven at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant124 4.9.1. First failure to identify responsible decision makers 124 4.9.2. The basics: project rationale 125 4.9.3. Second failure to identify decision makers 127 4.9.4. Conclusions 128 4.9.5. Recommendations 128 5. COUNTRY PROFILES, RISKS AND POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS 130 5.1. Bulgaria 130 5.2. Lithuania 131 5.3. Slovakia 132 5.4. Overall evaluation 133 REFERENCES 136 ANNEX 1 - REACTORS IN THE SHUTDOWN STAGE IN THE EU 142 ANNEX 2 - MEETING AGENDA FOR BULGARIA, LITHUANIA AND SLOVAKIA 144 ANNEX 3 - WRITTEN ANSWERS FROM BULGARIA 147 ANNEX 4 - MINUTES OF THE MEETING AT IGNALINA NPP, LITHUANIA 158 ANNEX 5 - WRITTEN ANSWERS FROM JAVYS, SLOVAKIA 165 ANNEX 6 - ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO JAVYS, SLOVAKIA, AND ANSWERS 179 ANNEX 7 - QUESTIONS ASKED TO EBRD 189 ANNEX 8 - ANSWERS PROVIDED BY EBRD 192 6 Nuclear Decommissioning: Management of Costs and Risks ____________________________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS APEC Atelier pour l'entreposage du combustible (Fuel handling and treatment facility of the reactor at Creys-Malville, France) AREVA French company selling nuclear reactors and providing nuclear services ASN Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire (French nuclear regulating authority) BIDSF Bohunice/Slovakia International Decommissioning Support Fund BMF Federal Ministry of Finance (Bundesministerium der Finanzen, Germany) BWR Boiling water reactor (reactor type with steam generation within the reactor vessel and direct use of the generated steam in the turbines) CEA Commissariat à l’énergie atomique (French R&D organization operating research reactors) CIDEN Centre d'ingénierie de la déconstruction et de l'environnement (French decommissioning engineering center, subdivision of EDF) CO2 Carbon dioxide, gas, used as coolant in some gas cooled reactor types D2O Heavy water, used as moderator/coolant in some reactor types DM Deutsche Mark (former German currency, roughly 0.5 €/DM) DP RAO Радиоактивни отпадъци (state-owned Bulgarian Nuclear Waste Management organization in charge of decommissioning, english synonym: SE RAW) DRC Direction des déchets, des installations de recherche et du cycle (Waste Research and Fuel Cycle Facilities Department, subdivision of ASN) DGSNR Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nucléaire et de la Radioprotection (former French safety authority) DSR Direction de la Sûreté des Reacteur (French regulator, subdivision of IRSN) EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EDF Electricité de France (majorly state-owned operator of nuclear reactors in France) E.ON German electricity producer and operator of several nuclear power plants EC European Commission EU European Union EWN Energiewerke Nord GmbH (Federally owned organization for the decommissioning