May 19th Danish waste management evaluated

From 1 to 9 May, Danish Decommissioning hosted seven independent international experts sent by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The visit provided the framework for an assessment of Denmark's system for the safe management of radioactive waste.

The extensive preparations for the visit, called an ARTEMIS mission, have been underway since autumn. In addition to the host organisation, the main actors have been Ministry of Higher Education and Science, The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science and The Danish Health Authority, Radiation Protection. The latter participated in the mission as coordinator and liaison between the international experts and the Danish representatives.

ARTEMIS (Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation) missions are to be carried out in all EU Member States at least every ten years. The missions are carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Based on the material provided, follow-up dialogue, interviews and visits to Risø's nuclear facilities, a preliminary report was prepared during the visit assessing the Danish system for radioactive waste management in relation to IAEA standards. The report contains seven recommendations and two proposals on how to strengthen the organisational and practical framework for the work. The final report will be published in a few months.

"The ARTEMIS mission has been extremely useful and comes at an opportune time, as Danish Decommissioning has just developed a comprehensive waste strategy. This will now be operationalised in two-year action plans, and we will incorporate the report's recommendations," says Director Ole Kastbjerg Nielsen.

Read the IAEA press release on the preliminary findings
Read also The Danish Health Authority's press release