Over the past two decades, the safety case has become a powerful and essential tool to support decision making at every stage of a geological disposal programme. Now, an increasing number of national...

The Horonobe International Joint Project (HIP) is a collaborative project between the NEA and Japan Atomic Energy Agency established in February 2023.

Robotics and remote systems (RRS) are essential technologies for work in the radiation environments typically encountered in the nuclear back-end, such as in radioactive waste management and decommis...

Community and industry come together to workshop radioactive waste management strategies

^{Figure 1: Generation IV International Forum [gen-4.org]}

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) organised an international workshop on the implementation of radioactive w...

NEA hosted two workshops in Romania on 25-29 July 2022.

The goal of EGCUL is to share state-of-the-art knowledge and experience in characterising a large amount of unknown waste derived from nuclear accidents and past nuclear activities.

The Sixth International Conference on Geological Repositories (ICGR-6) gathered participants in in Helsinki, Finland, on 4-8 April.

放射性廃棄物は、医療・産業・研究・発電など幅広い活動から発生する。このような廃棄物はすべて、人の健康と環境の保護を最優先して安全に管理しなくてはならない。何十年にも及ぶ研究活動を経て、国際科学界は今では、高レベル放射性廃棄物を深地層最終処分場（DGR）に定置することが安全かつ効果的であると確信するに至っている。
各国政府は、それぞれが最良であると信じるエネルギー・環境政策を実施する絶対的な権利と責...

NEA Expert Group on the Application of Robotics and Remote Systems in the Nuclear Back-end (EGRRS) discusses how to improve the regulatory framework for robotic and remote systems applications.

The Crystalline Club (CRC) is composed of technical experts with experience in evaluating or reviewing the understanding of crystalline rock as host rocks for deep geologic disposal projects. CRC mem...

NEA News is the professional journal of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). It features articles on the latest nuclear energy issues concerning the economic and technical aspects of nuclear energy, nucl...

The NEA hosted an online expert roundtable discussion on 24 June 2021 on safety case projects of three different types of disposal facilities in member countries.

The ICGR brings together high-level decision-makers from regulatory and local government bodies, waste management organisations and public stakeholder communities to review current perspectives of ge...

On the occasion of this anniversary, the NEA has published a commemorative brochure that reflects on 20 years of IGSC work and traces the evolution of the concept of the safety case overall.

The diversity in classification schemes across countries has restricted the possibility of comparing waste inventories and led to difficulties in interpreting waste management practices, both nationa...

EXPERT ROUNDTABLE: Progress in HLW management and the sustainability of nuclear energy, 12 November 2020

NEA News is the professional journal of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). It features articles on the latest nuclear energy issues concerning the economic and technical aspects of nuclear energy, nucl...

This NEA Policy Brief provides a concise outline of the current outlook for final disposal of radioactive waste in NEA member countries. It describes the challenges, context, stakeholders and potenti...

The design and implementation activities of the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) focus on how to achieve safety in practice.

The Ad hoc Expert Group on Trends in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle (TNFC) has been set up to investigate trends in the latest progress and the future trajectories in the nuclear fuel cycle.

Radioactive waste results from many different activities in health care, industry, research, and power production. All such waste must be managed safely, with the protection of human health and the e...

Version 3.0 of the International Features, Events and Processes (IFEP) List for the Deep Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste. This is a comprehensive and structured list of generic FEPs, relevan...

The brochure provides background information about the NEA.

The transition from an operating nuclear facility to the decommissioning phase is critical in the life cycle of every facility. A number of organisational and technical modifications are needed in or...

This bibliography aims at providing an overview of the work performed in the field of preservation of records, knowledge and memory in relation to radioactive waste management, especially disposal. F...

NEA News is the professional journal of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). It features articles on the latest nuclear energy issues concerning the economic and technical aspects of nuclear energy, nucl...

Decommissioning of both commercial and R&D nuclear facilities is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, and the largest of such industrial decommissioning projects could command cons...

Proceedings of the RWMC Regulators Forum Workshop held in Helsinki, Finland on 8-9 September 2015.

In 2012, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) noted the needs of developing operational best practices and guidelines for geological repositories. Under the RWMC’s mandate, the Integrati...

Geological disposal of high-level waste or spent nuclear fuel is a strategic area in the work program of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Radioactive Waste Management Committee (NEA RWMC). In 2012, the...

Complementary annotated bibliography to the report by the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), Stakeholder Involvement in Decision Making: A Short Guide to Issues, Techniques and Resources (OECD/NE...

The aim of this analysis is to investigate the potential usefulness of mechanisms that have international influence, scope or support and are based on international co-operation, for the preservation...

The present Phase-II Vision Document is the revised version following refining of work priorities of the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiative subsequent ...

This document reports on the progress of the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiative over the period March 2013-March 2014.

Decommissioning of nuclear facilities and related remedial actions are currently being undertaken around the world to enable sites or parts of sites to be reused for other purposes. Remediation has g...

This document is the summary record of the seventh meeting of the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiative, held in Paris, France on 27-28 May 2014.

This document is an overview of the mandate of the Expert Group on Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste (PMRW). As an initial task, the PMRW will focus on main aspects related to activities in...

This document describes the mandate of the RWMC Expert Group on Waste Inventorying and Reporting Methodology (EGIRM).

This bibliography aims at providing an overview over the work performed in the field of the preservation of records, knowledge and memory in relation with radioactive waste management, especially dis...

This document is the draft summary record of the 15th meeting of the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC), held OECD Conference Centre, Paris, France on 10-11 October 2013.

This document is the summary record of the meeting of the task group “Set of Essential Records” within the RWMC’s initiative “Preservation of Record, Knowledge and Memory Across Generations” (RK&M), ...

This document is the summary record of the meeting of the Task Group “Set of Essential Records” within the RWMC’s initiative "Preservation of Record, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations", ...

This document is a summary record of the first meeting of the Radioactive Waste Repository Metadata Management (RepMet) initiative.

Nations with nuclear power programmes are, or intend to, become engaged in planning to dispose of their higher-level and/or longer-lived radioactive waste in deep geologic repositories. If they remai...

The RK&M project seeks, among other things, to gain insights into the factors influencing the loss and recovery of knowledge and memory preservation in areas other than nuclear wastes. One area with ...

This document describes the mission and objectives of the Salt Club for a proposed extended mandate (May 2014-December 2015) under the aegis of the IGSC.

This document proposes the creation of an expert group on the integrated management of accident-oriented radioactive waste, which would produce valuable insights on the management of accident-oriente...

This document is collection of articles produced by the RK&M project team about strategic aspects of the preservation of records, knowledge and memory across generations. This compilation represent o...

This document is a summary record of the sixth meeting of the RK&M initiative, held at the NEA Offices, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, on 5-6 February 2014.

This document describes the proceedings of an IGSC international workshop was convened in Braunschweig, Germany on 5-7 September 2013, with the purpose of identifying and compiling information on kno...

This document presents the proposed terms of reference for the 2015 RWMC-RF Workshop, Challenges to the Regulator in Construction, Licensing and Operation of Waste Repositories. Presented at the 17th...

This report presents a comprehensive look at the general monitoring information, practices and approaches used in the various national geological disposal programmes and elaborated in a number of int...

A Collective Statement of the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee which describes the guiding principles of the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiati...

This document describes the proceedings of an IGSC International Symposium held at the OECD Conference Centre, Paris France on 7-9 October 2013. The purpose of this symposium was to assess the practi...

Describes the achievements and plans of the working parties under the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) as presented at the 47th session of the RWMC held on 26-27 March 2014.

Way forward proposal for Phase II of the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiative.

This document is the provisional summary record of the 14th session of the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD), held at the NEA Offices, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on 18-20 Novem...

This document is the provisional summary record of the fifth meeting of the Expert Group on Preservation of Recrods, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations, held in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Franc...

This document is the draft agenda of the 32nd meeting of the Management Board of the Co-operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information concerning Nuclear Installations D...

The RK&M glossary defines important concepts and terminology for the purposes of the RK&M project. Compiled by the members of the project team, it is intended as a source of terms that are commonly u...

The feasibility and costs of spent nuclear fuel management and the consequent disposal of ultimate waste continue to be the subject of public debate in many countries, with particular concern often e...

The first meeting of the Salt Club (SC-1) took place at the NEA Offices in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France on 04 December 2012. This draft summary record reviews the main items and decisions.

This document describes the mandate of the IGSC Expert Group on Operational Safety (EG-OS) in 2013. The aim of the expert group is to identify, evaluate and help define international best practice in...

This document describes the provisional Programme of Work (PoW) of the Expert Group on Operational Safety in 2013 to 2014. Work activities outlined here were approved by the EG-OS at their kickoff me...

This document is the summary record of the 4th meeting of the Expert Group on Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations initiative, held in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France on 16-18 April 20...

This document contains the proceedings of the NEA Clay Club workshop on Clay Characterisation from Nanoscopic to Microscopic Resolution. The workshop was intented to provide a discussion platform on ...

This document provides a synthesis of the workshop presentations and accounts of discussions that were held. It also provides a list of the main observations garnered from the workshop for future wor...

This document is the revised proposed agenda of the 4th meeting of the RWMC project on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations, held at the OECD Conference Center ...

This report provides a status update of the RK&M project for the period March 2012 to March 2013.

This document describes the provisional mandate of the IGSC Expert Group on Operational Safety (EG-OS). The aim of the expert group is to identify, evaluate and help define international best practic...

This discussion paper was provided to the Regulators’ Forum (RF) of the RWMC to spark discussion on the impact of the concept of oversight and of the ICRP-122 recommendations on national and internat...

This document defines and discusses the purpose and general contents of post-closure safety cases for geological repositories for long-lived radioactive waste. Its aim is to provide a useful point of...

This document describes the mandates of the RWMC Regulators' Forum (RF) and the RWMC Working Parties FSC, IGSC and WPDD. Prepared for the 46th session of the RWMC held at the OECD Conference Center i...

This document outlines the achievements and future plans of the working parties of the RWMC, specifically the IGSC, FSC and WPDD. Prepared for the 46th session of the RWMC held at the OECD Conference...

In 2001, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) published a report describing the role of underground research laboratories (URLs) in nuclear waste dispo...

This document is the provisional agenda of the 31st meeting of the CPD Management Board. It is the 4th meeting under the 2009 Agreement. The meeting was held at the NEA Offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux...

This bibliography aims at providing an overview over the work performed in the field of the preservation of records, knowledge and memory in relation with radioactive waste management, especially dis...

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has an acknowledged role in organising independent, international peer reviews of national programmes and studies in the field of radioactive waste management. The NEA...

This document is the proposed agenda of the second workshop on Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations, held at the on NEA Offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, on 1...

A key challenge for some national radioactive waste management programmes and an important learning opportunity for many others will be the licensing of the construction and operation of the first de...

As the ICRP finalized its guidelines on the application of ICRP-103 to geologic disposal, the RWMC and the CRPPH held a joint session to discuss the ICRP forthcoming guidelines and interpretation iss...

A major activity of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in the field of radioactive waste management is the organization of independent, international peer reviews of national studies and projects. The N...

This RK&M workshop was held at the NEA Headquarters, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on 11-13 October 2011. Its overarching goal was to scope the field and gain insights that can guide the further develo...

This report describes the status of the RK&M project from its launch in March 2011 up to March 2012.

A central safety function of radioactive waste disposal repositories is the prevention or sufficient retardation of radionuclide migration to the biosphere. Performance assessment exercises in variou...

This report synthesizes principles for socially responsive siting of radioactive waste management facilities that have emerged from over a decade of learning by the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (F...

This document is a summary of the special seminar commemorating the 10th anniversary of the OECD/NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD), held at the NEA Offices in Issy-les-Mouli...

At the request of the Belgian Federal government, the OECD-NEA International Review Team (IRT) is reviewing the safety case of the ONDRAF/NIRAS' surface disposal facility for low and intermediate lev...

This document describes the achievements and plans of the working parties of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC). It was prepared for the 45th session of the RWMC in 2012.

Interest in expanding nuclear power to cope with rising demand for energy and potential climate change places increased attention on the nuclear fuel cycle and whether significant moves are being tak...

This is the final full report of the 4-year international project on Reversibility and Retrievability (R&R) launched in 2007 by the OECD/NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC). Major miles...

Disposal in engineered facilities built in stable, deep geological formations is the reference solution for permanently isolating long-lived radioactive waste from the human biosphere. This managemen...

This is the final draft of a brochure to be published in December 2011 by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) (in English and in French). This interim file is...

The RK&M glossary defines important concepts and terminology for the purposes of the RK&M project. Compiled by the members of the project team, it is intended as a source of terms that are commonly u...

The present list of references was assembled during the period May 2007 -December 2010 in support of the work of the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) Project on Reversibility and Ret...

This strategic plan for RWMC was adopted at the RWMC meeting of March 2011. It expands and details the planning given in the Strategic Plan of the Nuclear Energy Agency for 2011-2016 that was approve...

At the request of the Swedish government, the OECD-NEA International Review Team (IRT) is examining the application by SKB for a construction license of a spent fuel repository in Sweden. Questionnai...

Over the past two decades the NEA, on behalf of requesting countries, has regularly organised international peer reviews of national safety reports in the field of geological disposal of radioactive ...

The Regulators' Forum of the RWMC and the IGSC have both identified the need to explore the challenges and good practice in view of preparing for the construction license of a deep geological reposit...

In this document a vision for the RWMC project on Preservation of RK&M Across Generations is described covering the period 2011-2014. The document represents the shared vision of the project members ...

The present report outlines the potential merits of R&D work carried out by the regulator. It summarises the results of a questionnaire that was circulated among the members of the Regulators' Forum ...

This draft report deals with the concepts of reversibility and retrievability for the deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel. It documents the results of an initiative that was ...

The second phase of the RWMC Reversibility and Retrievability project was a data gathering phase, through use of a questionnaire to elicit information on the current status of disposal programmes in ...

This document contains a summary of the actions taken at the Radioactive Waste Management Committee's (RWMC) Reversibility and Retrievability Project Meeting, held in Paris, France on 21-23 June 2010...

This document was prepared by the Task Group on Decontamination and Dismantling (D&D) of Concrete Structures. It provides a comprehensive review of proven technologies and methods fro decontaminating...

In March 2010 a topical session was held on this subject during the plenary meeting of the RWMC with a view to identify common issues and, in due course, to start the RWMC first international project...

The RWMC is implementing its programme of work in the field of long-term preservation of information and memory. This document describes proposed goals and deliverables of a RWMC project over the per...

The work of the RWMC Regulators’ Forum on regulation and safety criteria for geological disposal of radioactive wastes, which culminated in the Tokyo workshop of January 2009, has identified a number...

Summary Record of the 2nd Meeting of the Reversibility and Retrievability Project, 2009, NEA Headquarters, 3-5 June 2009

This summary record presents the main conclusions as well as a summary record ...

Proposal to the RWMC

National programmes would benefit from a shared and broad-based understanding at the international level of the reversibility and retrievability concepts and of the related oppor...

Summary record of the Reversibility and Retrievability Project meeting in Washington D.C., United States, 2-4 December 2009

This document is the summary record of the meeting of the Management Board of the NEA Sorption Project Phase III, held at the NEA Offices, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on 5-6 November 2009.

Long-term preservation of records, knowledge and memory is an important component of the RWMC programme of work. As part of its series of initiatives in this area, the RWMC surveyed national programm...

This document describes the achievements and programme of work of the working parties of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee. It was prepared for presentation at the RWMC-43 meeting held at th...

At RWMC-42 a decision was made to produce a flyer on the waste management profession. A few countries provided relevant materials. Discussions within the RWMC Bureau produced the hereby provided "vis...

This document is the summary record of the topical session on Management of Large Components from Decommissioning to Storage and Disposal held at the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling'...

At its 2009 meeting, RWMC members were very positive on starting an initiative on long-term preservation of information and memory. The topic is broad and should be addressed in well-defined packages...

All RF colleagues are asked to provide written replies to questions listed in this document. Responses will be compiled and analysed, and the analysis will be distributed a few days prior to RWMC-43....

This document has been prepared by the Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA’s) Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate General for ...

This document provides a brief summary of the decisions made during the 10th meeting of the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD), held on 17-19 November 2009.

This document reports the main findings from the RWMC Regulators’ Forum (RF) Workshop, as discussed and approved at the RF meeting in March 2009. The workshop was held in Tokyo, Japan on 20-22 Januar...

Geological settings selected as potential host formations for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste are chosen for, among other assets, their long-term stability and buffering capacity ag...

The RWMC has adopted knowledge consolidation and transfer as one of the pillars of the Committee’s modus operandi and work programme. This is seen as a natural enhancement of the RWMC role of advanci...

At its March 2007 meeting, the RWMC agreed to start an initiative on reversibility and retrievability (R&R), with a particular focus on policy and regulatory issues. The R&R initiative is being carri...

This document reviews the regulatory developments in the field of geologic disposal since the Cordoba Workshop of 1997. It supports the Tokyo workshop of the RWMC Regulators' Forum (20-22 January 200...

The last decade has seen significant progress in several countries on the siting of repositories for deep disposal of long-lived radioactive waste. In parallel with this, regulatory authorities have ...

The present document summarizes and reviews the concepts relevant to the optimisation of geological disposal systems as they are outlined in national and international guidance as well as in the work...

This document has been prepared by the Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA) Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD) in collaboration with the European Commission (DGTREN) and the IAEA. It is...

This document is a status report of the Reversibility and Retrievability Project subsequent to a meeting held in Toronto, Canada in October 2008.

This report of the NEA Working Group on Approaches and Methods for Integrating Geological Information in the Safety Case (AMIGO) summarizes the responses from 17 AMIGO participants, including both im...