Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, National Report from Denmark, Third Review Meeting

Denmark signed the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management 29 September 1997, the day it opened for signa- ture. The Convention was accepted 3. September 1999 by letter from the Foreign Ministry to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Until further notice the Convention does not apply for the autonomous territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
The present report is the Danish National Report for the Third Review Meeting to the Con- vention. The meeting takes place 11-22 May 2009 at IAEA, Vienna. As described in the Guidelines regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports, (INFCIRC/604 rev. 1, 19 July 2006) duplication within the reporting, including duplication from former reports, should be avoided. At the same time it is stated that the report should be a stand-alone report. Con- sequently, Denmark has in this report decided to focus on what is considered highlights and new developments since the National Report from the Second Review Meeting. However, the present situation will, if considered necessary from a stand-alone report point of view, be stated briefly under each paragraph, even if there has been no development since the last meeting. For the reader who wishes a more detailed description of the Danish practices and understanding of the development before 2006, the former reports as well as the questions and answers can be found via the homepage for the Joint Convention1.
Main developments since the 2006 meeting fall within two areas of work: 1) the decommis- sioning of the three Danish research reactors and 2) the establishing of a final repository for LILW (Low and Intermediate Level Waste).
DR 1 (Danish Reactor 1) is now fully decommissioned and released from regulatory control. DR 2 is also fully decommissioned, but the reactor building has not been released from regu- latory control as it will be used for storage purposes etc. in connection with the decommis- sioning of DR 3. With respect to DR 3, the fuel elements are removed, decommissioning of auxiliary systems is in progress, and complete decommissioning to »green field« is under planning.
With regard to the process of establishing a final repository, a “Basis for Decision” describing how to proceed with the project has been prepared. The “Basis for Decision” has been for- warded to the Government and it is expected that the process to start locating a site will be endorsed by the Parliament in the fall of 2008.
The present report also considers the issues raised in the Rapporteur’s Report for Denmark in the 2006 meeting, where the following themes were highlighted as challenges:
• Disposal facility for low and intermediate level waste (site selection, design, licensing)
• Human resources - Nuclear Regulatory Authorities
• Complete decommissioning of research reactors
• Finding a solution for disposal of the small quantity of spent fuel
• Nuclear Regulatory Authorities (inspections of waste storage facilities, survey for or- phan sources).
The report is prepared by the National Institute of Radiation Protection under the National Board of Health, in co-operation with Danish Decommissioning (DD) and the Nuclear Divi- sion under the Danish Emergency Management Agency. It is concluded in the report, that Denmark meets all obligations of the Convention.