Slovak legal system for ensuring feasible nuclear back-end system implementation

Abstract

In the 70-plus years of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the nuclear industry has reached a mature awareness of its importance, influence and responsibility for and towards the world. Not only does it dutifully regulate itself in technical aspects, making the use of nuclear energy stricter and safer by any and all means possible, it also establishes policies, backed by legislation, for its decades-long activities. Thus, the industry has recognised the need to systematically approach and solve the issue of complete dismantling of its (previously operating) facilities and final disposal of the operational and decommissioning waste (including spent nuclear fuel (SNF)1). This sought end state must be reached both by technical means as well as by creating a sound system for today’s continuous accumulation of funds, needed for the future implementation of the selected technical solution (including final disposal of SNF).