Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, National Report from Norway, Fourth Review Meeting, 14-23 May 2012

This is the Norwegian report to the fourth review meeting to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (Joint Convention) to be held at IAEA in Vienna, 14–23 May 2012. Norway signed the Joint Convention on 29 September 1997, the day it was opened for signature. The Joint Convention was ratified and deposited on 12 January 1998. The report has been written in accordance with the guidelines concerning the form and structure of national reports, as established by the Contracting Parties under Article 29 of the Convention at the Preparatory Meeting held at IAEA, 10–12 December 2001, and modified at the second Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties held from 15 to 24 May 2006. The report was prepared by the regulatory authority, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) assisted by the sole operator organisation in Norway, the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE). This fourth report is a full revision of the third report. The comments, questions and remarks given to Norway’s initial national report and Norway’s presentation given at the first, second and third review meetings have been incorporated in this report. The guidelines set out in the IAEA working document “Use of safety standards in relation to the Joint Convention” of March 2005 have been applied, and references to the use of the IAEA Safety Standards in Norway have been supplied where appropriate. This report concludes that Norway meets the obligations of the Joint Convention. However, the relevant Norwegian authorities will aim for further improving the waste management policy to further enhance safety, in line with the aims of the Joint Convention.