The decommissioning of nuclear installations in Hungary is imposed by § 40 of the Act on Atomic Energy upon the Agency with the additional provision that the responsibility for the maintenance, surveillance and guarding of nuclear facilities from their closure to the dismantling shall be with our Agency. The dismantling and the area recultivation work shall also be within the scope of responsibility of the Agency.

Preparation for the decommissioning of Paks Nuclear Power Plant

Unit 1 of Paks Nuclear Power Plant was first connected to the grid in 1982, with Unit 4 in 1987. The design service life of the nuclear power plant is 30 years; consequently, Unit 4 should be finally shut down in 2017. The service life extension, that will presumably occur, may put off this date even with a period of 20 years.

The first study on the decommissioning of the power plant was carried out by DECOM Slovakia Ltd in 1993. This study focussed on to the first phase Units (i.e. Unit 1 and 2) only. The decommissioning of all 4 Units and the Interim Spent Fuel Storage (ISFS), were addressed in new version of the study report issued in 1997.

It was considered a great step ahead that the first version of the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of Paks Nuclear Power Plant and the ISFS facility was prepared by DECOM Slovakia Ltd and TS-ENERCON Ltd. in 2003. The same decommissioning scenarios are addressed, in a design level of details and in due consideration of the relevant recommendations of IAEA, in the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of Paks Nuclear Power Plant as in the decommissioning study report issued in 1997. Only one scenario, which was matching well to the decommissioning scenario including “70-year closure under surveillance” of the power plant, was studied in the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of the ISFS facility.

Altogether five different decommissioning scenarios were addressed in the study carried out in 1997 and in Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of the power plant issued in 2003. The one, which was considered the most favourable in all viewpoints, was the scenario titled “70-year closure under surveillance”, therefore it is used as reference scenario. In this scenario, the secondary components of the power plant would be dismantled following the transfer of spent nuclear fuels into the interim storage, while the components containing radioactive materials and items of equipment would remain in their place in safe custody under surveillance, for a period of 70 years.

The third revision of the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of Paks Nuclear Power Plant commenced in December 2006. In line with the international trends, it was also decided among others that the length of safe custody period should be reduced to 50 years.

Further versions based on shorter confinement period will also be prepared for the decommissioning of the power plant. These versions are expected to be available in late 2008.

To ensure that the results of the technological developments and the accumulated experience are used in the preparations, the decommissioning plan will need to be periodically revised.

Decommissioning of other nuclear facilities

Only one scenario, which was matching well to the decommissioning scenario including “70-year closure under surveillance” of the power plant, was studied in the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of the ISFS facility. The reduced period of this safe custody shall be considered in the next revision of the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan of the ISFS facility.

The most significant task of PURAM is the decommissioning of Paks Nuclear Power Plant and the Interim Spent Fuel Storage, which was constructed on the power plant site, but the dismantling of all other nuclear installations shall also be within the scope of responsibilities of PURAM. The decommissioning costs of the power plant shall be covered from the money paid by Paks Nuclear Power Plant into the Central Nuclear Financial Fund, while the expenses arising in relation to the management of spent nuclear fuels generated in nuclear installations operated by budgetary institutes (training reactor of the Nuclear Technology Institute of Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME – NTI), and the research reactor of Atomic Energy Research Institute of the Central Research Institute for Physics (KFKI – AEKI) shall be covered from the budget in the year of the occurrence of the expenses.

The training reactor of BME was commissioned in 1971 to meet the need for the training of nuclear professionals in Hungary. The reactor operates at 100 kW nominal power and has an operation license with a validity up to 2017.

It is presumed upon considering the good technical conditions of the reactor that the operation license of the facility will be renewed even until 2027. The necessity of the license renewal is definitely supported by the planned service life extension of Paks Nuclear Power Plant and the requirement for training new nuclear professionals.

All in all, the decommissioning of the facility is not expected to occur before 2027. According to the provisions set forth in the latest issue of the operational license, the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan shall be available by the end of 2011.

The research reactor of KFKI – AEKI was constructed in 1959. A core modification, along with the introduction of a new fuel design, was implemented in 1967. The facility was renewed between 1986 and 1992, a new vessel was installed, and the heat power was increased to 10 MW. The facility has been operated for research and isotope production purposes

The safety review of the research reactor was carried out in 2003, which resulted in a new operation license issued by the Nuclear Safety Directorate of HAEA, with validity until withdrawal. The due date of the next safety review is 2013.

The design service life of the reactor is 30 years, thus the reactor is expected to operate until 2023. A study report was prepared in 1997 for the decommissioning of the reactor. Another decommissioning study was carried out in 1998.

Scheduling of the tasks

2008-2009

• Establishment of the database required for the preparation of the Final Decommissioning Plan.
• Review of the Preliminary Decommissioning Plan.

2010–2022

• Finalisation and approval of the Decommissioning Plan
• Graduated shutdown of the Units.
• Transfer of spent nuclear fuels into the Interim Spent Fuel Store
• Demolition of the inactive parts of the power plant
• Preparation of the active parts of the power plant for safe custody.

2022–2082

• Surveillance of the active parts of the power plant (including ISFS after 2070)

2082–2104

• Dismantling the active parts of the power plant
• Dismantling of the ISFS