The NEA organised a workshop to review the structure and the evolution of different national frameworks for the financing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle on 17-18 September 2020, attracting 77 participants.
During his opening remarks, NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV noted that ensuring the adequacy of funding is a long-term endeavour that involves significant socio-political, technological and economic factors. The workshop featured three comprehensive sessions on a conceptual study of the issues pertaining to financing decommissioning, twelve country case studies, and guidelines for good policy practice.
The participants also explored the concept of a circular approach, which could complement the current linear discounting of the future cost estimates for decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal. This promising new approach proposes an innovative decision-making framework whereby all the factors relating to the financing of the backend can vary, while continuing to feed into each other.
Organized by the NEA Division on Nuclear Technology Development and Economics (NTE) in close collaboration with the NEA Division on Radioactive Waste Management (RWMD), this workshop culminated the NEA study on the “Adequacy of Funding Arrangements for Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management”. The final report of this study, incorporating the outcomes of the workshop, will be published in the coming months.
