MANAGEMENT OF SPENT

FUEL: NRWDI

by:

Ntaoleng Kunene

Chemical Technologist18/07/2018 TM on Integrated Approaches to the Back End of the Fuel Cycle

NATIONAL RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL INSTITUTE

• The National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute Act (NRWDIA) (Act no. 53 of 2008) became effective on the 1st December 2009;

• NRWDI is responsible for the disposal and related waste management of radioactive waste on a national basis

• NRWDI wholly owned state entity

• Listed as Schedule 3A public entity as from 1st April 2011

THANK YOU

GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL REFERENCE PLAN

OVERVIEW OF SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT IN SA

• Radioactive Waste Management Policy and Strategy for the Republic of South Africa, was published in Nov 2005

• This policy called for implementation:

✓ Radwaste Fund (Currently in draft, operators will pay per MW energy produced and other waste generators according to the waste they produce)

✓ National Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

✓ Radwaste Institute (NRWDI)

STRATEGY FOR SPENT FUEL IN SA

• Current mechanisms of storage namely wet and dry– Koeberg used fuel is currently stored in authorised fuel

pools on site as well as in Casks designed and constructed for storage of used fuel.

– SAFARI Research Reactor used fuel is stored on site at am authorised dry storage facility on site as well as in the Reactor pool.

• Consider direct disposal for spent fuel• R&D activities for deep geological repository (2065)

with Vaalputs as candidate site• Establish Centralised Interim Storage Facility for

spent fuel (2025)

OTHER SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

• Off-site above the ground Centralized Interim Storage Facility

• Reprocessing, conditioning and recycling

• Direct disposal

• Transmutation

CHALLENGES FOR NRWDI

• NRWDI became operational in 2016, systems are still being set up

• Current Vaalputs licence is not transferable, but the licence application has recently been initiated.

• Politically, any change in government may or may not pose a delay, if the government is not pro Nuclear.

INTERFACES OF THE BACK-END

• Vaalputs currently disposes LLW, Waste Acceptance Criteria prescribes criteria predisposal operator shall meet before waste packages will be accepted

• The WAC is the interface between waste generators and the disposal operator.

AERIAL VIEW OF VAALPUTS

Red sand – 0,5 m

Red ‘clay’ – 10m

White ‘clay’ – 5m

Weathered granite – 3m

Fresh granite up to 100m

Aquifer

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Disposal Concept

Monitoring pipe

Natural Clay

5.2

m

8.0

m

Drainage layer – 200mm

Backfill

Compacted clay cap

Natural cover

Top soil

Waste packages

50

m

Shallow Land Disposal (SLD)

Near surface trenches for LLW

MECHANISM FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Our Compliance department is developing and implementing procedures, these are all in line with ISO 9001

• All these procedures are available on the server are controlled by the document management process.

TO ENSURE SOCIETAL AND POLITICAL ACCEPTANCE

• Communication • Public participation • Stakeholder engagement

All 3 should be part of the Spent Fuel

Management

THANK YOU!

Qs & As

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