22 Jun (NucNet): Bulgaria is committed to the safe management of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, but should avoid limiting the timeframe for its national strategy for spent fuel and radioactive waste to 2030 and should make financial provisions for deep geological disposal, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded.
The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (Artemis) team concluded a 10-day mission to Bulgaria on 20 June. The mission was requested by the government and hosted by the Ministry of Energy.
The Artemis team noted that Bulgaria has a strong legal and regulatory basis for the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. It said the existence of predisposal facilities demonstrated Bulgaria’s commitment to implement the national strategy.
But the team said Bulgaria should include in the strategy long-term milestones and schedules that consider the policy requirements, planning assumptions, strategic preferences and contingencies for the entire programme lifecycle.
Bulgaria has assessed a number of potential sites for a deep geologic repository, but no final decision has been made.
The Kozloduy nuclear power station in northwestern Bulgaria has two operational reactors and four units that are being decommissioned. A national disposal facility for radioactive waste is under construction at the Kozloduy site.
There is also a storage facility near the town of Novi Han, about 30 km southeast of Sofia, for radioactive waste from industrial, medical, educational and research uses.
The IAEA said Artemis missions provide independent advice from specialists convened by the IAEA. Reviews are based on IAEA safety standards and international good practices. The European Commission obliges European Union member states to subject their national programmes for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel to independent review.
