nuclear-news

Global problem of burying dead nuclear reactors

Abandon nuclear energy programme, Unep boss urges Kenya , Standard, BY PETER ORENGO, 13 Feb 12 “……..According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Year Book 2012, one of   United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) ‘s emerging global concerns is the challenge of decommissioning the growing number of end-of-life nuclear power reactors….

The UNEP Year Book says the cost of decommissioning varies greatly, depending on the reactor type and size, its location, the proximity and availability of waste disposal facilities and the condition of both the reactor and the site at the time of decommissioning…..
A government commission formed last year is conducting a feasibility study and the University of Nairobi is setting up programs to train people for the nuclear program. Critics say they’re concerned about plant worker safety and the risk of environmental contamination.

For the UN, this will could mean more old nuclear plant closures….

In US, the average cost of decommissioning a nuclear power reactor is by some estimates around 10 to 15 per cent of the initial capital cost, while in France, in the case of the Brennilis reactor, it was estimated at around 60 per cent of the reactor’s initial cost, a percentage that is still on the rise.

The UNEP Year Book 2012, will be launched on the eve of the 12th Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum,… “The UNEP Year Book spotlights the options and the complexities of decommissioning nuclear power plants when they reach the end of their lives, focusing on an issue for which there remains sparse information but perhaps where more in depth analysis is needed when making energy choices today: namely, the price of making these plants and associated radioactive materials safe for current and future generations,” said  Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director at Gigiri.  http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/politics/InsidePage.php?id=2000052072&cid=4

February 14, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, decommission reactor, Reference