NEW DEVELOPMENTS,ISSUES AND TRENDS IN RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CHINA

Presented by: Qinghong SUN

China Institute for Radiation Protection

WATEC Meeting

18-22 October 2004

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Content

� Status of Radioactive Waste Management

� New Developments

� Issues and Trends

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Status of Radwaste Management

� Waste generation

� Regulatory framework System

� Treatment and disposal of LILW

� Management of SNF and HLW

� Management of nuclear application waste

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Status of radioactive waste management 1 waste source

� Nuclear power stations (NPP)

� Nuclear fuel cycle (CNNC)

� Nuclear application in medicine,industry and

research---nuclear application waste

� Waste arising from exploitation and utilization

of mines containing naturally radioactivity

materials--NORM waste

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Nuclear Power Program

� Qingshan-1 300MWe 1991 ? ? Zhejiang

� Guangdong-1 900MWe×2 1994 ? ? ? Daya Bay

� Qingshan-2 600MWe×2 2002 ? ? Zhejiang

� Qingshan-3 700MWe×2 2002 ? ? Zhejiang

� Guangdong-2 1000MWe×2 2002 ? ? Lingao

� Tianwan 1000MWe×2 under construction

� Guangdong-2-2 1000MWe×2 Project proved ? ? Lingao

� Sanmen 1000MWe×2 project proved

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Status of Radioactive Waste Management 2 Regulatory framework System

National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA)China State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA)

China Atomic Energy Agency

China National Nuclear Cooperation

Provincial Environmental Protection

Administration

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Waste

?Nuclear Power Plant Waste

?Legacy Waste

?Uranium milling and tailings

?Other CNNC related Waste

Non-Nuclear Fuel Cycle Waste

?Nuclear Application Wastes

?NORM

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Status of Radioactive Waste Management

The Hierarchy of Legislation in China

Technical Documents

Safety Guides

Department Rules

Administrative

Regulations

LawsMandatory

Mandatory

Mandatory

Guiding Doc.

Reference Doc.

By People’s Congress

By State Council

By Governmental

Department(s)

By Governmental

Department(s)

By Governmental

Department(s)

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Status of Radioactive Waste Management3 Treatment and Disposal of LILW

� LILW arising from NPP and nuclear fuel cycle is

solidified for temporary storage

� LILW should be disposed of regionally.

� Four repositories is planned.

� Two near-surface repositories for LILW have been

constructed and one of them is in operation

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Distribution of Regional LILW Disposal

Sites

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Status of Radioactive Waste Management 4 Management of SNF and HLW

� Basic policy:SNF arising from NPPs will be reprocessed

� A pilot plant for reprocessing SNF generated from NPPs is

under construction.

� The storage pool put into operation

� Treatment of high level liquid waste

� vitrification, partitioning and transmutation

� HLW will be disposed of in deep geological formation

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Status of Radioactive Waste Management

5 Management of Nuclear Application Waste

O in operation

? under construction

X not plan

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New Developments

� legislation and supervision system

� Nuclear power Program

� Safety of radiation sources

� Disposal of HLW

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New Developments1 Legislation and Supervision System

� The first top laws for radioactive waste management---

The Radioactivity Pollution Control Act (RPCA) went

into force in October 1,2003

� The state council’s basic regulation on radioactive waste

management is being planed

� Some regulations, technical standards and guidelines will

be developed or revised

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New developments2 Nuclear Power Program

� 4 Units have been approved

� 2 new NPP projects is being planed

� Primary long-term programme

� Total capacity (36000-40000MWe) will account for

4% of total electricity supply in China by 2020

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New Developments3 Nuclear Application Waste Management

� SEPA ,instead of Ministry of public health, becomes leading

surveillance body in nuclear application waste in last year

� State Council’s basic regulations:No.44, Regulations for

Radioisotope and radiation emitting apparatus is being revised

� Classification system of radiation sources

� ID system of radiation sources has been developed

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New Developments

3 Nuclear Application Waste Management

� Actions:

� safety check of radiation sources is being conducted in national wide

� Improving safety of storage facilities for nuclear application waste

� Some spent radioactive sources under CNNC have been collected

for concentrated storage

� The database of radioactive sources is in development

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New Developments4 Disposal of HLW

� CNNC started studies of HLW disposal in 1980’s. The

Coordination Research group was established.

� A R&D plan for deep geological disposal of HLW was

mapped out in early 1990’s

� Four boreholes in Beishan site was completed in recent

years.

� Further research program is being discussed

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China HLW Disposal

R&D

CNNC Coordination Group

Basic chemistry

China Institute for Atomic

Energy

Engineering design

Beijing Institute for

Nuclear Engineering

Geology and

Site selection & char.

Beijing Institute of

Uranium Geology

Safety & Performance Ass.

China Institute for Radiation

Protection (CIRP)

Organization Chart for China’s HLW Research

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Issues and trends

� LILW management

� HLW management

� Decommissioning and environmental restoration

� Growing concern to NORM waste

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Issues and Trends 1 LILW Management

� Waste generators :reducing waste volume

� Public attitude to disposal of radioactive waste

� Cross-provincial transportation and regional disposal

� Siting of LILW

� Financial arrangement of repository

� Qualify control of waste form

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Issues and Trends 2 HLW Management

� Solidification technology of high level liquid waste

� Geology disposal

� safety indicators, siting characterization, performance

assessment, URL

� Strengthening further researches and international cooperation

� Comparison between geological disposal and P&T

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Issues and Trends3 Decommissioning and Environmental Restoration

� Minimization of waste

� Recycle and reuse of contaminated material

� How clean is clean enough?

� Clearance level, acceptable residual level

� Large amount of low activity radioactive waste (VLLW)

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Issues and Trends 3 Growing Concern to NORM Waste

� Large amount NORM waste is produced

� Exclusion,exemption and clearance

� The regulation of NORM is being considered

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