Risks to be considered in Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning Projects in Brazil

Abstract

In recent years, Brazil has intensified investments in nuclear innovation for peaceful purposes. Currently, in the country, there are six reactors in operation and three under construction. These reactors, at the end of their useful life, must be decommissioned, in a process that includes technical and administrative actions aimed at the partial or total removal of regulatory control, with a view of to the safety of the installation site, the health of employees, the public, and the protection of the environment. Thus, these activities involve risks that must be managed systematically, following the rules and guidelines established by responsible bodies. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently identified the need for practical guidelines for risk management in decommissioning projects and elaborated the publication “Management of Project Risks in Decommissioning” of the Safety Reports Series Nº 97. In Brazil, there is no experience in execution the decommissioning of nuclear reactors, thus, this work will present and analyze the main risks of nuclear reactor decommissioning projects in Brazil, using techniques from the risk assessment process of the ISO/IEC 31010 Standard, considering the wide international experience portrayed on the subject.