15 May Experts Evaluate Final Decommissioning of DR 3

In June, DD's expert panel will provide comments on the project description for the decommissioning of reactor DR 3. Subsequently, regulatory approval will be sought, and a parliamentary bill will be drafted for submission to the Parliament's Finance Committee.

OOn June 15-16, DD will receive a visit from the international expert panel. During this visit, DD's draft project description for the final decommissioning of reactor DR 3 will be reviewed.

During its previous visit in January 2010, the expert panel was presented with several potential methodologies for dismantling the reactor's internal components. Subsequently, the definitive method was chosen and outlined in a draft project description, which was circulated to the panel on May 6th.

During this meeting, the DR 3 project group will discuss the chosen methodologies for dismantling the internal components of reactor DR 3, the demolition of the reactor block itself, and the decontamination of the surrounding facilities.

Subsequently, DD will revise the description based on the feedback received and submit it to the nuclear regulatory authorities for approval. DD anticipates approval of the project description by the end of the year, following which a budget for the task will be prepared, and funding will be sought through a parliamentary bill to the Parliament's Finance Committee to commence the project.

The International Panel of Experts consists of:

• Head of Department Roger Andres from Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
• Head of Department Roy Manning from Babcock International Group, England
• Head of Safety Atle Valseth from Institute for Energy Technology, Norway
• Consultant Dennis W. Reisenweaver from Alion Science & Technology, USA
• Director Manfred Urban from WAK, Germany (He will, however, be replaced at this meeting by Engineer Erwin Prechtl).