Recommendation Group 6
Recommendation Group 6
REFLECTIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE LOCAL ACTORS ON THE NATIONAL NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
REFLECTIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE LOCAL ACTORS ON THE NATIONAL NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
This report describes the actions taken in Argentina on the safety of spent fuel management
(SF) and on the safety of radioactive waste management, in order to provide evidence of the
fulfillment of its obligations under the Joint Convention. To facilitate the reading and a better
understanding of this report a summary of those parts of the 1st Report that were considered
necessary have been included.
The present National Report describes the actions taken in Argentina on the safety of spent fuel
(SF) management and on the safety of radioactive waste (RW) management, in order to provide
evidence of the fulfilment of the obligations derived from the Joint Convention. To facilitate the
reading and a better understanding, it has been decided to include a summary of those parts of
the two prior National Reports that are considered necessary in order to comply with this
objective.
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Answers to Questions Posted by the Contracting Parties on the Argentina Second National Report
The structure of the Fourth National Report complies with the Guidelines Regarding the
Form and Structure of National Reports (INFCIRC/604/Rev.1).
Section A describes the scope of the nuclear activity developed in Argentina since 1950
as well as the legal and regulatory framework. It also makes reference to the Strategic
Plan for Radioactive Waste Management (Strategic Plan), which refers to the safety of
Spent Fuel Management and Radioactive Waste Management.
Joint Convention Questions Posted to Argentina in 2009
The European Atomic Energy Community (“Euratom”) is a regional organisation, as referred to in Article 39(4) of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. It became a party to the Convention on 2 January 2006. This report is submitted in compliance with Articles 30 and 32 of the Convention for the Second Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties, to be held in Vienna from 15 to 26 May 2006.
The structure of this National Report complies, to the greatest adjustment possible, with the
Guidelines Regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports approved in the
Preparatory Meeting held in Vienna in December 2001.
Section A includes a general introduction to the report, and a reference to the National
Program which contemplates spent fuel and radioactive waste management and the treatment
of wastes that originate from Mining and Uranium Processing.
This Report has been prepared, according to the guidelines established by the Contracting Parties under Article 29.2(iii), to fulfil the obligations of the Article 32 of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, signed by Poland on 30 September 1997 in Vienna, and ratified by the President of the Republic of Poland on 9 March 2000. The corresponding instruments of ratification were deposited with the IAEA on 5 May 2000. The Convention entered into force on 18 June 2001.
Historically, electricity generated in Switzerland came exclusively from hydropower without any recourse to fossil fuels, the latter not being available as a natural resource in the country. In the mid 1950's, an interest in the relatively new nuclear energy technology was manifested to cover an increasing electricity demand. In accordance with the general policy concerning the production of electricity, the promotion and use of nuclear energy was left to the initiative of the private sector.
The first world wide review of the geological problems in radioactive waste isolation was published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1991. This review was a compilation of reports that had been submitted to a workshop held in conjunction with the 28th International Geological Congress that took place July 9-19,1989 in Washington, D.C.
During the 1990s, nuclear waste programmes in nearly every concerned country met many difficulties. Nuclear waste management was seen as a technical issue, and the local communities were only involved in the last stage of the decision-making process when almost all components of the decision were already fixed. The management of high level radioactive waste is now recognised as a complex decision-making process entailing technical, ethical, social, political and economic dimensions where no solution can be reached solely on the basis of technical considerations.
This report aims to clarify the dynamics of socio-technical challenges in the implementation of geological disposal (GD) for High Level Waste (HLW) and Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF). Drawing on the 14 country reports produced within InSOTEC’s WP1 the synthesis focuses on socio-technical challenges that appear across national contexts. The synthesis report elucidates issues made visible through bringing together the analyses of different national contexts.
Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Answers to Questions Posted by the Contracting Parties on the Argentina First National Report
The Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) is the regulatory authority for nuclear safety and security of the nuclear installations in Switzerland. ENSI issues guidelines either in its capacity as regulatory authority or based on a mandate in an ordinance. Guidelines are support documents that formalise the implementation of legal requirements and facilitate uniformity of implementation practices. They further concretise the state-of-the-art in science and technology.
The conceptual part of the sectoral plan for deep geological repositories defines the goals of the federal government in this area and the procedures and criteria to be applied in selecting sites for deep geological repositories for all categories of waste in Switzerland. The focus of the site selection process is on safetybased criteria, with land use and socio-economic aspects playing a secondary role.
Many nations and international agencies are working to develop improved technology and industrial capability for nuclear fuel cycle and waste management operations. The effort in some countries is limited to research in university laboratories on treating low-level waste from reactor plant operations.
Council Directive 2011/70/EURATOM of 19 July 2011 establishing a Community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste
Worldwide activities related to the storage of spent (irradiated) nuclear power reactor fuel and highly-radioactive, long-lived wastes are summarized, with a review of the storage programs and plans of 26 nations. The focus of the report is on the application of dry storage techniques to spent fuel, although dry storage of long-lived wastes is also reviewed.
This report was written within the EU-project InSOTEC (www.insotec.eu) which aims to generate a better understanding of the complex interplay between the technical and the social in radioactive waste management and, in particular, in the design and implementation of geological disposal. In a first step 13 countries have been analysed in order to identify prevailing socio-technical challenges.