Advisory Group meeting at Kjeller Norway

The independent Advisory Panel met on 11 and 12 May 2026 at Olavsgaard near to the Kjeller site in Norway. Following the successful transfer of the licence for the Halden facility, the Government has decided an accelerated timescale for the transfer of the licence for the Kjeller facilities. A date of 1 January 2027 has been announced and in the interim NND must be prepared with the appropriate structures and management systems to facilitate this.

The Panel discussed NND’s plans and preparations to become the Kjeller licence holder including interface issues with IFE, the current holder. Transfer of the licence to NND will enable a greater emphasis to be given to post-operational clean out and eventual dismantling and decommissioning of the various reactors and facilities.

Of particular interest to the Panel were the plans for treatment and future management of the spent fuel residing at the Halden and Kjeller sites. Although not much in volume terms, the fuel is of varied types and burn-up and naturally constitutes the highest hazard on the site(s) and its management and conversion to a passive form a priority for NND. The Panel was appraised of the various options being considered and advised accordingly.

The meeting also discussed the organisation culture for safety and security in the transition phase: transition of reactors and facilities from active operations to POCO and decommissioning. The Panel was encouraged to see that NND saw this as a major issue and were devoting significant effort to address this and achieve a successful outcome.

The meeting also covered NND plans for requirements management, cost estimation, decommissioning in urban areas, free release requirements and development of security requirements. The meeting concluded with a tour of the Kjeller site and facilities that will in six months or so, be covered by the NND licence. The next meeting is scheduled for November 2026.

Workshop on the Design Process for Near-Surface Waste Facility

In April 2025, I travelled to Ankara and together with fellow IAEA experts Bernt Haverkamp and Marin Jordanov, ran a workshop for the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency (TENMAK) on the design process for development of a near-surface disposal facility for low level and short-lived intermediate level radioactive wastes. The workshop was organised by IAEA under their Technical Cooperation programme and involved key players from TENMAK, NDK (the nuclear regulatory authority), TÜNAŞ and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

Within Türkiye, TENMAK has the responsibility for the safe management of radioactive wastes and in particular, for the development of LLW/SLILW near surface disposal facilities for existing wastes and wastes predicted to arise from two NPP programmes (4 units from Akkuyu under construction and 4 units from the proposed Sinop plant). During the course of the workshop we addressed:

  • Design principles and approaches - referring extensively to IAEA safety standards and guides, as well as international experience and best practice for similar wastes/facilities.

  • Safety case development and information/data requirements and means by which this can be integrated within the design and siting process

  • Near surface disposal concepts and approaches for identification of the optimum solution based upon the national specific requirements and constraints.

The workshop concluded with participants undertaking an optioneering exercise to investigate which of the various disposal concepts available would best meet the needs of Türkiye. The exercise used simplified information and inputs and when weightings and scores were applied, concluded that an above-ground, vault-type facility would be the preferred concept. This it was emphasised should not be taken as the final word: the process should be repeated with appropriate data and with a panel of experts with the necessary wide range of disciplines and expertise.

The workshop wrapped up on Friday 11 April. The IAEA experts made a number of recommendations covering project management and QMS, design development steps, requirements management, siting, inventory and continuing technical support. IAEA experts were thanked for our valuable inputs to the Turkish programme.

Post-Graduate Educational Course on Radiation Protection and the Safety of Radiation Sources

I have just returned from Greece where I have delivered lectures on Radioactive Waste Management at the the Post-Graduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection and the Safety of Radiation Sources (PGEC). The course is organised by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE) in their capacity as IAEA Regional Training Centre for Europe.

The PGEC is a 20 week course attracting post-graduate students and young professionals wanting to expand their knowledge in this important area. On this year’s course were 20 students from across Southern Europe, Central Asia, Central America and the Caribbean.

Inaugural meeting of NND expert Advisory Group

This week I spent two very interesting days in the company of Norsk Nucleær Dekommisjonering (Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND)) where I have been invited as one of the experts on their Safety and Waste Management Advisory Group.

NND has submitted proposals to take over licences for the now shut down research reactors (at Halden and Kjeller) operated by IFE, as well as the waste store and repository (KLDRA) at Himdalen. NND is therefore preparing itself to be responsible for decommissioning the existing facilities and management of all of the subsequent radioactive waste, including disposal of ILW and spent fuel from the research reactors.

NND recognise that there will be many challenges as this plan is implemented and I am very happy to be part of this expert group, alongside Catherine Banet, Johan Andersson, Tom Haldal and Simon Carroll, tasked to provide advice and input to NND’s senior management team.

At this the inaugural meeting, the Advisory Group met NND’s leadership team and were briefed on the status of current plans and future activities. It is expected that the group will meet again in approximately six month’s time.

South Holderness takes part and then it doesn't

In January 2024 it is announced that a Working Group has been established to work with Nuclear Waste Services to explore the possibility of the South Holderness area of the East Riding of Yorkshire hosting a Geological Disposal Facility. On 21 February it is announced that the Local Authority (the East Riding of Yorkshire Council) has voted to withdraw from the Working Group and as a consequence the Working Group is to be wound down.

IAEA Technical Meeting on Site Selection for Geological Disposal

In the week beginning 27 November I was at the IAEA offices in Vienna for the Technical Meeting on site selection criteria for geological disposal siting. This meeting involved 36 participants from 28 countries and considered early outputs from the project which is considering international experience and best-practice approaches to geological disposal siting. I have been associated with the project since its inception in March 2023 and am employed as an expert consultant to support the Technical Officer and core-group in the production of a report that will eventually be published by the Agency within the Nuclear Energy series.

Design Principles and Approaches for Radioactive Waste Repositories

Just back from a week in Canada supporting the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in delivering the IAEA designed course on Design Principles and Approaches for Radioactive Waste Repositories. Although initially conceived as a course for waste management organisations, our experience showed that it would work equally well with regulators - especially where they might want hands-on insight to the development of disposal concepts suited to different disposal inventories and geological environments.

Incidentally the course was developed by IAEA and complements this recently published report

Thanks to CNSC for arranging and hosting the event, thanks to IAEA for devising and supporting the course but most of all big thanks to the participants who engaged with the material and exercises with great professionalism and enthusiasm!

NWS has decided not to take Allerdale further in GDF siting process due to limited suitable geology

It was announced today that Nuclear Waste Services will no longer consider the Allerdale community within its search for a suitable site to host a geological disposal facility. Following evaluation of geological information they report that they have identified only a limited volume of suitable rock and that the geology in the area was unlikely to support a post closure safety case. A statement from the Allerdale Community Partnership is available here.

NWS continues to work with three remaining communities.

Workshop on licensing, safety case and siting of radioactive waste disposal facilities

During the week 8 to 12 May, I have been in Bangkok working with engineers and scientists who have responsibility for the safe management of radioactive wastes here in Thailand. We are here at the invitation of the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT), facilitating a workshop organised by IAEA on licensing, safety case development and siting of radioactive waste disposal facilities.

The workshop was attended by some 20 engineers and scientists from TINT and OAP, the nuclear regulator and together we worked on a roadmap setting out the key stages and activities within a programme for safe management and ultimately disposal of Thailand’s radioactive wastes.