The first session of the 2002 Scientific Forum examined the issue of life cycle management of nuclear power plants. Moderated by Dr. V.K. Chatervedi, two aspects were considered: extending the life of existing plants through license extensions and decommissioning closed and retired facilities.
Both are two sides of the same coin. Nuclear power plants are licensed to operate for a fixed number of years - ranging from 30 to 40 years on average. As nuclear power plants around the world slowly reach the end of their existing licenses, the question of what to do with the plant comes to the fore. Essentially there are two choices, seek approval to continue operating or close the plant down. While deciding which to pursue may be a commercial decision of the nuclear power plant operator, public opinion and the resulting political environment are also involved.
License extensions—one side of the coin
In the European Union (EU), where presenter Dr. Peter Haug from FORATOM reviewed the current situation from the industry perspective, extending the life of existing plants is not on the political landscape in several EU countries. In fact several governments have taken recent decisions to close down plants early. This approach adds to a growing dilemma in the EU on how to meet both future energy needs and environmental goals, particularly Kyoto commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) if nuclear power is replaced by some other energy source that produces GHGs.
Extending the life of an existing nuclear power plant, where possible from both a technology and safety standpoint, can help reduce the short-term need for new generating capacity without incurring new capital costs. In a high electricity demand country like the United States, this capacity gives energy planners some leeway to plan for future needs and avoid the risk of blackouts in peak periods, such as those experienced in California last year.
Presenter John Brons from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) noted that the experience in the US had been positive to date. The approach taken by both the industry and the regulator (the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is to ensure that the power plant is in the same operating condition on the first day of its license as it is on the last. This holds true for license extensions, where the NRC process involves both a safety and environmental review with opportunity for public involvement. The safety review validates that the current operations are consistent with the existing license and conducts a site-specific environmental review. By 2005, nearly half of the 100 plus operating plants in the US are expected to apply for extension.
In Japan - a country that relies heavily on nuclear power for its electricity supply - it is not surprising that operators are also actively working to extend the life of their nuclear power plants. Providing an overview of the situation, Mr. Masao Takuma from the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, noted that 30 years after commissioning, nuclear power plants are subject to ageing measures. Within the next five years, 13 of Japan´s 52 light-water reactors will have been operating for more than 30 years. Extending the life of these plants is an important issue for stability of Japan´s deregulated energy market.
A 1994 government report established the concept of the aging measures that would apply to plants operating up to 60 years. This approach involves evaluations of equipment, implementation of long term maintenance programme, and periodic safety reviews, coupled with the creation this year of an organization to upgrade ageing –related technological infrastructure and disseminate technological information.
In Europe, individual EU member countries may have different positions on whether they will or will not seek license extensions. FORATOM´s Haug noted that the average age of the 146 nuclear power plants, which generate one-third of the electricity supply in the 15 EU countries, is 22.3 years. Decisions will have to made soon. A legislative package now being finalized by the European Commission could provide a framework to support plant life extension in a coordinated fashion, allowing EU countries to follow the examples of the US and Japan. In addition, research and development work continues with support from the EU R&D Framework Programme to understand ageing and technological issues relating to nuclear technology and safety, including plant life extension.
Research and development and the knowledge gained from them are as important to successfully extending the life of a nuclear power plant, as is the public´s acceptance. While public acceptance for license extensions is not as contentious in the US as it is in Europe, loss of knowledge is becoming a growing concern.
It is not only the nuclear plants that are aging, so are the nuclear workforces both in the industry and in the regulatory authority. According to the NEI´s Brons, retirement is thinning the ranks of NRC personnel qualified to conduct license renewal inspections and reviews. This could undermine the extension process, if solutions are not found.
Decommissioning - the other side of the coin
Knowledge and public acceptance are also key issues in decommissioning a closed nuclear plant. Reviewing the current situation, Dr. John McKeown from UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) noted that there were 93 commercial power reactors, 22 research reactors, 5 reprocessing facilities, 14 fuel fabrication plants, and 60 mines that have been retired from operation and are either awaiting or undergoing decommissioning. He noted that while the idea of decommissioning a facility usually met with public approval, the process it involved was less likely to be supported. In order to decommission a facility and restore the land and surrounding environment, the radioactively contaminated material must be disposed of. While technical methods exist to do this, the issue of where to dispose of radioactive waste is contentious.
In many countries, lack of public acceptance has stopped or delayed the opening of suitable waste management facilities. Despite some recent progress in Finland and the US, for example, until there are facilities to dispose of the residual radioactive materials, it will be impossible to fully decommission a facility, even though there is public agreement to close plants.
Costs for decommissioning can also be high, particularly because many early plants were not designed with decommissioning in mind. Learning from experience, international cooperation, and information exchange can help. Besides commitment, UKAEA´s philosophy is to be second first—adopting simple solutions, particularly those that have been used successfully elsewhere. Since all facilities will eventually have to be decommissioned, the key factor for success, according to UKAEA´s McKeown, will be to recruit and maintain the necessary skills and expertise to do the job when needed in the future.
With dwindling enrolment, nuclear physics is disappearing from university curricula around the world. Maintaining knowledge may well be the ultimate challenge to managing the life cycle of nuclear power plants.