Questions and Answers to the National Report of the Czech Republic
Questions and Answers to the National Report of the Czech Republic
Questions and Answers to the National Report of the Czech Republic
Questions and Answers to the National Report of the Czech Republic
Joint Convention Questions Posted to Denmark in 2006
The U.S. industry’s limited efforts at licensing transportation packages characterized as “highcapacity,”
or containing “high-burnup” (>45 GWd/MTU) commercial spent nuclear fuel
(CSNF), or both, have not been successful considering existing spent-fuel inventories that will
have to be eventually transported. A holistic framework is proposed for resolving several CSNF
transportation issues. The framework considers transportation risks, spent-fuel and cask-design
The Industry Spent Fuel Storage Handbook (“the Handbook”) addresses the relevant aspects of at-reactor spent (or used) nuclear fuel (SNF) storage in the United States. With the prospect of SNF being stored at reactor sites for the foreseeable future, it is expected that all U.S. nuclear power plants will have to implement at-reactor dry storage by 2025 or shortly thereafter. The Handbook provides a broad overview of recent developments for storing SNF at U.S. reactor sites, focusing primarily on at-reactor dry storage of SNF.
As nuclear power plants began to run out of storage capacity in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage pools, many nuclear operating companies added higher density pool storage racks to increase pool capacity. Most nuclear power plant storage pools have been re-racked one or more times. As many spent fuel storage pools were re-racked to the maximum extent possible, nuclear operating companies began to employ interim dry storage technologies to store SNF in certified casks and canister-based systems outside of the storage pool in independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs).
There are no nuclear power stations and no nuclear fuel cycle activities in Ireland. There are 2.5 tonnes of natural uranium in storage on the campus of a university, which was previously incorporated in a sub-critical assembly. This material is stored in the building in which it was previously used. Other than in relation to these uranium sources, the application of the Convention is limited to radioactive waste arising from the medical, industrial and research applications of radioisotopes.
The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009
has left the U.S. program for management of used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW)
in a state of uncertainty. In concert with this major policy reset and in response to the resulting
policy vacuum, the President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon
Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) “…to conduct a comprehensive review of
policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and to provide recommendations for
U.S. efforts to site and construct a deep geologic repository for used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW) proceeded in fits and starts over a three decade period from the late 1950s until 1982, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). This legislation codified a national approach for developing a deep geologic repository. Amendment of the NWPA in 1987 resulted in a number of dramatic changes in direction for the U.S. program, most notably the selection of Yucca Mountain as the only site of the three remaining candidates for continued investigation.
U.S. efforts to site and construct a deep geologic repository for used fuel and high level
radioactive waste (HLW) proceeded in fits and starts over a three decade period from the late
1950s until 1982, when the U.S. Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). This
legislation codified a national approach for developing a deep geologic repository. Amendment
of the NWPA in 1987 resulted in a number of dramatic changes in direction for the U.S.
program, most notably the selection of Yucca Mountain as the only site of the three remaining
The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009 has further delayed the construction and operation of a permanent disposal facility for used fuel and high level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States. In concert with this decision, the President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future to review and provide recommendations on options for managing used fuel and HLW.
Independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) are currently licensed for 20 years. However, delays in developing permanent spent fuel disposal capability require continued ISFSI storage beyond the 20-year term. This report provides a technical basis for demonstrating the feasibility of extended spent fuel storage in ISFSIs.
This Report gives an outline of Ireland’s national policy, State institutional framework and general legislation governing all aspects of the implementation of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management in Ireland. It also sets out measures adopted to implement the relevant obligations of the Convention noting that Ireland does not have any spent nuclear fuel to deal with.
There are currently nine power reactors in operation in Germany. These are exclusively light-water reactors (seven pressurised water reactors and two boiling water reactors whose fuel assemblies are composed of low-enriched uranium oxide or uranium/plutonium mixed oxide (MOX)).
Lithuania has signed this Convention on 30 September 1997 and ratified it on 18 December 2003. This Convention entered in force in Lithuania on 14 June 2004. This is the second report of Lithuania for this Convention. The aim of the report is to give the information on the fulfillment of obligations of this Convention to other Contracting Parties. This report will be discussed in the Third Review Meeting to be held in Vienna on 11-22 May 2009. This report was prepared according the Guidelines Regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports.
The present document constitutes the First National Report of Spain, drawn up in order to meet the requirements of Article 32 of the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management, adopted in Vienna on 5th September 1997. This Convention, which was signed by Spain on 30th June 1998 and ratified on 11th May 1999, entered into force on 18th June 2001.
The present document constitutes the Fourth Spanish National Report, submitted in compliance with the requirements of article 32 of the Joint Convention on Safety in the Management of Spent Fuel and Safety in the Management of Radioactive Waste, done in Vienna on September 5th 1997. This report will be examined during the review meeting of the Contracting Parties contemplated in article 30 of this Convention, which will begin in May 2012.
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 signature, and 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, which both do not possess spent nuclear fuel or radioactive waste.
The present document constitutes the Second Spanish National Report, issued in compliance with the requirements of article 32 of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (hereinafter, Joint Convention), made in Vienna on September 5th 1997. This report will be examined during the Review Meeting between the Contracting Parties contemplated in article 30 of the Joint Convention, which is scheduled to start on May 15th 2006. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade (Span.
The Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste is a framework for moving toward a sustainable program to deploy an integrated system capable of transporting, storing, and disposing of used nuclear fuel1 and high-level radioactive waste from civilian nuclear power generation, defense, national security and other activities.
On 8 December 1997 Belgium signed the Joint Convention. The Belgian legislator has expressed its consent with the obligations resulting from the Convention by the Law of 2 August 2002. The ratification followed on 5 September 2002. The Convention became effective on 4 December 2002, i.e. 90 days following ratification. Belgium belongs to the group of Contracting Parties having at least one operational nuclear power plant on their territory.
Ireland became a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1970. In March, 2000, Ireland was the 25th State to ratify the IAEA Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, thus bringing the Convention into force.
Lithuania has signed this Convention on 30 September 1997 and ratified it on 18 December 2003. This Convention entered in force in Lithuania on 14 June 2004. This is the third report of Lithuania for this Convention. The aim of the report is to give the information on the fulfillment of obligations of this Convention to other Contracting Parties. This report will be discussed in the Third Review Meeting to be held in Vienna on 14-23 May 2012. This report was prepared according the Guidelines Regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports.
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.
Luxembourg has signed the Joint Convention on 1st October 1997 and is a Party thereof since 19 November 2001. The Convention entered into force on 21 June 2001. Luxembourg has no nuclear power plant, no other fuel-cycle facility, no research reactor and no other facility generating radioactive substances. Thus many requirements of the Joint Convention do not apply to Luxembourg. It further has no spent nuclear fuel and no high level radioactive waste on its territory.
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.