Opportunities for Research in the UK for Decommissioning and Disposal

Abstract

AbstractThe NDA remit as set out within the Energy Act includes – “promote, and where necessary fund, research relevant to nuclear clean up”. The NDA need to underpin delivery and / or accelerate programmes to fulfil the overall mission and technical underpinning of these activities is critical. In this paper we will present consideration of the investment required in nuclear waste Research and Development.Firstly, NDA set the requirement for nuclear sites to write down within the Life Time Plans (LTP), at a high level, the proposed technical baseline underpinning the LTP activities; furthermore we required technology gaps / opportunities in the technical baselines to be outlined in a R&D requirements section to the LTP. Criteria were established to categorise the R&D in three areas:“needs” - those development activities needed to underpin the proposed technical solutions“risks” – those activities required to reduce / eliminate key risks to the proposed technical solutions“opportunities” – innovations / changes to the technical baselinesThe purpose of production of the technical baselines and underpinning R&D requirements is to establish an auditable trail through the LTP from programme components into how the programme will be delivered.NDA believes the production of the technical baselines and R&D requirements will be of benefit to the Site License Companies (SLC) in terms of ensuring a focus on overall programme delivery and not just short term activities. Furthermore, we can ensure that investment in technology is targeted at priority areas, with common issues and requirements identified and solutions on a broader scale will be achievable.