Nuclear Waste Management

What is nuclear waste management?

Nuclear waste management involves minimising all forms of radioactive waste, categorising it and determining appropriate disposal methods in line with Best Available Techniques (BAT).

Why is nuclear waste management and disposal important?

One of the most important challenges in the nuclear industry is what to do with the nuclear waste. It must be managed in ways that protect human health and minimise the environmental impact. For nuclear power generation, all waste is regulated. Optimising nuclear waste management from the early stages is key for an effective, cost-efficient process.

TÜV SÜD helps you manage your nuclear waste safely and efficiently.

We help suppliers and operators to achieve the optimal design for any waste stream by applying integrated waste management strategies and plans. With our comprehensive understanding of costs and waste volumes, we support you to develop funded waste management plans and make financial provisions during the operation phase to fund end-of-life commissioning. Our experts also ensure that radioactive waste is in a safe condition for storage, transport, handling and potential disposal.

Our nuclear waste management services include:

• Waste processing
  

  TÜV SÜD provides support in strategy development, pre-treatment of waste and minimisation of waste (e.g. by vitrification). We offer waste package management for various waste forms that arise during decommissioning. An array of tools is used to better understand the entire waste cycle, such as “waste led” decommissioning diagrams based on IAEA guidelines.

• Retrieval of waste
  

  We support you in the areas of storage conditions, characterisation and design, and configuration of storage. We also provide tactics for decommissioning and retrieval, cost estimating, quantity surveying/ assessment, option studies and BAT assessment, and development of concept processes.

• Transfer and transport of waste
  

  TÜV SÜD provides expertise in container types and radioactive waste transport licensing and regulations. We support you with waste process and throughput modelling as well as criticality and shielding assessment for transport safety cases.

• Nature and quantity of wastes and wasteform assessments
  

  We provide criticality assessment, radiation-shielding design, control of suitability for disposal and preparation of the regulatory documentation relating to the packaging. Our services cover waste ranging from exemption levels to spent fuel and High Level Waste.

• Best Available Technique assessments
  

  We provide assessments to ensure that your options meet criteria such as safety, environmental impact, practicability and cost.