Supporting the decommissioning of first-generation nuclear power plants

Challenge

Since the building of the first power stations in the 1950s and 60s, nuclear power has grown to contribute 9–17 % of worldwide electricity every year. These ‘first-generation’ stations are now approaching the ends of their lives and must be decommissioned. Across the EU, over 200 power stations are due to be decommissioned by 2030, a process estimated to cost €150 billion. To ensure this is done safely, minimising the risk of public and environmental exposure, nuclear waste must be accurately analysed to determine its characteristics and whether it requires long-term storage. Waste with radioactivity below limits set by regulation is deemed “free release” and disposed of through strictly controlled means – this often includes building and storage materials, cables and other equipment.

However, as nuclear sites have been in operation for many decades and are not uniform in their production of waste, there was a need for novel methods to characterise these materials. Significant progress was made in this area during EMRP projects MetroRWM and MetroDECOM and follow-on EMPIR project MetroDECOM II, where new preselection and free release technologies were developed. This included calibration software and procedures and a new facility, SuperMUM, constructed by project partner NUVIA. SuperMUM uses special aged concrete shielding (equivalent to 5-10 cm of lead but with lower interference) alongside semiconductor germanium detectors and is able to detect radioactivity levels as low as 50 Bq per kg. However, support was needed to deliver these developments to the international market and adapt the SuperMUM facility to the broad needs of end-users.