The project objectives:

• Methodology of establishing the requirements and constraints regarding decontamination for nuclear installations decommissioning
• Evaluation of both structures and equipment contamination in case of CANDU type plants
• Development of decontamination methodologies for nuclear installations decommissioning
• Development of management methodologies of radwastes generated to nuclear installations decommissioning
• Decontamination methodologies and radwastes management applicable to nuclear plants of CANDU type decommissioning

Estimated results:

For the nuclear facilities, the decommissioning is the final phase of their life cycle, following site selection, design, construction, commissioning and operation. It is a process  involving operations like decontamination, demounting the plant equipment and facilities, buildings and structures demolition, the management of the resulted materials. This phase also considers the peoples health and safety requirements and any effect on the environment. The final result, i.e. the final product of the decontamination, decommissioning and radioactive waste management can be considered to be the release without constraints or the reuse of sites, facilities or materials for other purposes.

 The decommissioning plan must include a strategic approach for minimizing the production of radioactive wastes. The scope of a minimizing strategy is to maximize the opportunities of material release/reuse, and where the radioactive waste residues cannot be avoided, to minimize their volumes for temporary and final storage.

 Activities management and careful planning are essential for assuring that the decommissioning is performed in a safe and cost effective manner. In this context, the cost estimate process is of great importance for successfully performing the decommissioning and is closely related to the possibility of assuring the necessary funding of these complex activities, as illustrated in figure 1.