A National Radioactive Waste Inventory for Australia

Ben Paritsky, Julia Carpenter,

Richard O’Brien and Geoff Williams

ARPANSA

Overview

• Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

• Importance of a national waste inventory

• NEWMDB to manage inventory

• Status of current inventory

2

Joint Convention

• Safety and security of radioactive sources worldwide

• Protection of individuals, society, environment, and future generations

• Internationally harmonised approach

3

Why is a waste inventory important? In

tern

atio

nal

Ato

mic

En

erg

y A

gen

cy 2004 - IAEA

“Before it can be demonstrated that information can be effectively passed to future generations, it has to be shown that such information can be effectively passed between national and international organizations today.”

Nat

ion

al R

adio

acti

ve W

aste

M

anag

em

en

t A

gen

cy (

Fran

ce)

2009 - ANDRA

“Familiarity with radioactive material and waste is essential if it is to be managed properly. That implies having the fullest and most comprehensive view of its nature and the quantities involved.” N

ucl

ear

De

com

mis

sio

nin

g A

uth

ori

ty 2011 - NDA

“Preparation of a UK Inventory of radioactive waste is driven by the commitment to openness and transparency and by two international obligations.”

4

Why is a waste inventory important for Australia?

Legal reasons

• Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

Planning

• For a national low level waste repository and intermediate level store

• Closure of facilities and mine sites

5

International best practice

• Protection of people and the environment

• Safety of sources

• Security

• Communication - interstate, international, intergenerational

• Impacts on future generations

• Record keeping

6

Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of

Radioactive Waste Management

ARTICLE 32. REPORTING

This report shall also include:

(iii) A list of the radioactive waste management facilities subject to this Convention, their location, main purpose and essential features;

(iv) An inventory of radioactive waste that is subject to this Convention that:

(a) is being held in storage at radioactive waste and nuclear fuel cycle facilities;

(b) has been disposed of; or

(c) has resulted from past practices.

This inventory shall contain a description of the material and other appropriate information available, such as volume or mass, activity and specific radionuclides

Why is a waste inventory important for Australia?

Legal reasons

• Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

Planning

• For a national low level waste repository and intermediate level store

• Closure of facilities and mine sites

7

International best practice

• Protection of people and the environment

• Safety of sources

• Security

• Communication - interstate, international, intergenerational

• Impacts on future generations

• Record keeping

Sites for Radioactive Waste Storage and/or Disposal in Australia

8

Commonwealth: o ANSTO o ARPANSA o CSIRO o Woomera o Defence o El Sherana (PAN) o ANU o SSD o NMI o AIMS o AAD

South Australia: o Maralinga o Beverly o Honeymoon o Olympic Dam o Port Pirie o Radium Hill o SA EPA (Store)

Queensland: o Esk (Store)

New South Wales: o (Store)

Victoria: o (Store)

Tasmania: o (Store)

Western Australia: o RC (Store) o Mt Walton East

Northern Territory: o (Store) o Ranger

Australian Capital Territory: o (Store)

Plus over 100 other sites…

Current storage and disposal sites

9

Jurisdiction Site Name Waste Class Volume (m3)

Commonwealth ANSTO - Little Forest LLW 1,540

Commonwealth ANSTO - Little Forest ILW 178

Commonwealth Parks Australia North LLW 22,000

South Australia Maralinga LLW 432,000

Western Australia Mt Walton East LLW 124

Activity reference date: 1/5/2011

Radionuclide Number of Sources Total Activity (GBq) Am-241 3307 2.1E+01

Am-241/Be 29 4.1E+02 Ba-133 19 1.0E-01

C-14 12 1.8E-02 Cd-109 9 3.0E-03

Cm-244 1 4.0E-01 Co-57 59 2.0E-03

Co-60 117 7.0E-01 Cs-137 117 5.1E+03

LLW = Low level waste ILW = Intermediate level waste

Benefits of a national inventory

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Promotes national uniformity

Promotes safety and security of radioactive sources

Important step in establishing a national repository

How are we managing our inventory?

11

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NEWMDB: Net-Enabled Waste Management Database

Benefits of NEWMDB

Legal requirement

• Automatic generation of Joint Convention inventories

International best practice

• Includes Australia’s waste volumes in international waste inventories

• Allows for long term record keeping

• To have a consistent national inventory (i.e. same reporting format, same waste classification schemes)

13

Challenges encountered with NEWMDB Time consuming

• For ARPANSA

– Converting waste classifications

– Manually inputting data

– Quality control

– Training

• For some States and Territories

– The data we request is not necessarily the data that is collected

– Removing identifying details from records (e.g. customer numbers)

Technical issues

• Joint Convention Reporting

– Privacy issues (we didn’t use this feature due to inability to preview results)

• Bugs in database

– Excellent support from IAEA but each bug can delay work for up to a couple of weeks

14

Challenges in data collection • Inventory issues

– Inaccurate data

– Out of date data

– Accurate data, but not containing the information we want to record

• We rely on each jurisdiction to supply data

• The Commonwealth requested all jurisdictions to undertake an audit of radioactive waste (guidance issued by RHC)

• Record keeping in most jurisdictions remains limited to the waste kept in government stores

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How good is the current inventory?

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2003

2005-2008

2011 Australia’s first report to the Joint Convention

Inventory of radioactive waste limited to:

• volume of waste stored and generated at ANSTO

• total activity per radionuclide (rest of Australia)

• mass of wastes at uranium mine sites

2005: • Joint Convention Report

included a separate inventory for South Australia.

• Mining and milling waste inventory expanded

2008: • Joint Convention Report

included a separate inventory for Mt Walton East disposal site (WA)

• Use of NEWMDB to collect inventories

• Separate Inventory for each Jurisdiction

• Information included about the number of sealed sources and the volume of unsealed sources

• Waste categorisation included for unsealed waste and disposed waste

A lot of progress has been made with the inventory over the last 10 years, but there is still plenty more to do!

Case study - planning

17

ENRESA contracted for concept design of LLW disposal facility and ILW store in Australia

They used the current inventory for: • amount, type, and volume of existing waste • to assist with projecting production rates

It is important that the inventory they use is accurate for designing a facility: • with adequate capacity • that can safely and securely manage the

current and future waste in Australia.

If we know about it, we can plan for it!

Where to from here?

• Short-term – Request data from jurisdictions for next report

• Long-term – Request a complete audit from all jurisdictions

– ARPANSA maintaining capability for management of inventory, data collection, and stakeholder engagement

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Summary

• A national radioactive waste inventory is a powerful tool for demonstrating compliance and international best practice

• To be a success, the inventory needs up to date and accurate information from all jurisdictions

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CONTACT ARPANSA

Email: info@arpansa.gov.au Website: www.arpansa.gov.au Telephone: +61 3 9433 2211 Freecall 1800 022 333 General Fax: +61 3 9432 1835

THANK YOU