COST-EFFECTIVENESS IN MANAGING DECOMMISSIONING PROJECTS FOR RESEARCH REACTORS AND OTHER SMALL NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Most of the existing literature on decommissioning addresses the technological and other aspects of decontaminating and dismantling large nuclear facilities such as nuclear power plants, reprocessing plants and other relatively large nuclear fuel cycle facilities. However, the majority of nuclear facilities world wide are smaller in size and complexity and may present a lower radiological risk in their decommissioning. Such facilities are often associated with the erroneous perception that their decommissioning is a trivial, low priority activity. Under these circumstances the possibility exists that even minimum requirements and strategies may be disregarded in decommissioning, resulting in unnecessary costs, delays, and, possibly, safety issues such as loss of radiation sources.