Dismantling a nuclear power plant is a long (around 15 years) and costly (around half a billion euros) operation. Several reactors have already been dismantled. It’s a nuclear safety issue, involving the management of radioactive waste. Dismantling is a growing global market, and French players EDF and Orano are marketing their know-how in this field internationally.
I. Nuclear plant dismantling in a nutshell
Do we know how to dismantle?
Yes, for pressurized water and boiling water plants. Many nuclear power plants have already been dismantled. It’s a long (~15 years) and costly process (around half a billion euros). The dismantling of graphite power plants (notably the 6 first-generation French reactors) poses specific problems due to the gigantic size of the core. Methods and tools are currently being developed to meet this challenge.
Dismantling today and yesterday
It goes without saying that we know how to dismantle, as several reactors have already been dismantled. In total, the number of reactors shut down by 2022 was 197, of which 20 had been fully dismantled (including 7 pressurized water reactors).(source)
In France, the Chooz A plant was dismantled at the end of 2022. First-generation reactors (natural uranium graphite-gas, UNGG) are more difficult to dismantle, and the operation could last into the 22nd century. In 2021, there will be 35 nuclear facilities shut down or in the process of being dismantled, including 12 reactors.
How are things going?
First, the decision to shut down production is taken, and then, some time later, it is actually shut down. During a transition period of around 3 years, the fuel is unloaded and the circuits drained. Cleaning of the plant also begins. After about 3 years, the final shutdown decree is issued. This phase is referred to by the IAEA as “Level I”. This is followed by the actual dismantling phase, when the facilities are dismantled starting with the outer buildings. This is level II. Finally, the reactor building is dismantled. This is level III.
In France, each stage is monitored by the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire. Once everything is finished, the facility is “decommissioned”, meaning it is no longer a nuclear installation.
ASN sums up the task:
“Feedback from dismantling operations carried out in France shows that, today, there are no prohibitive technical obstacles to dismantling facilities. However, these are very long-term operations, which present challenges in terms of project management, maintaining the necessary skills and coordinating the various works.”
https://www.asn.fr/l-asn-informe/dossiers-pedagogiques/le-demantelement-des-installations-nucleaires
How much does it cost?
Decommissioning costs considerable sums, which must be set aside by the operator.
Orano estimates that it will take 15 years on average to dismantle a reactor, and that it will cost between 500 and 700 million euros.
The total cost of dismantling 58 current reactors, including radioactive waste management, would be 60 billion euros.(source) At the same time “The cost of decommissioning a pressurized water reactor (PWR) is estimated at between 350 and 400 million euros.”(EDF) For this last estimate, it’s possible that reactor doesn’t mean power plant. The same amount is estimated for American reactors.
In France, the administrative red tape involved seems to be a major cost factor. The cost is also raised by the fact that France has opted for “immediate dismantling”. It is also possible to let the facilities lose their radioactivity.
How much waste does this produce?
This varies from plant to plant. For Fessenheim, EDF estimates waste at 380,000 tonnes, including 18,000 tonnes of “radioactive” waste, of which 65% is TFA waste, 35% FMA-VC waste and less than 1% medium-level waste(MAVL).(Source)
II. Dismantling: a global market
Many of the world’s reactors need to be dismantled. This is a large-scale global market, and one that is set to grow: 65% of the 450 nuclear reactors generating electricity worldwide at the end of 2018 have been in operation for more than 30 years.
The French group Orano is a global specialist in dismantling. To cover the American market (12 reactors), it has teamed up with a demolition company, NorthStar, to form a joint venture,“Accelerated Decommissioning Partners“.
Internationally, EDF markets decommissioning and waste management services through its subsidiary Cyclife.
III. Decommissioning, a sector of innovation
The nuclear plant dismantling sector is particularly active in terms of innovation. First and foremost, there are two subsidiaries of major energy companies, which combine their activities in this field, as well as in the treatment of radioactive waste, which are very closely related:
- VeoliaNuclear Solutions, created in 2017
- EDF’sCyclife, created in 2019
There are many specific projects dedicated to dismantling power plants more efficiently and safely:
- Graphitech, co-founded by Veolia Nuclear Solutions and Cyclife, aims to develop methods for dismantling graphite reactors.
There are also European projects in this field:
- INNO4GRAPH, a €3.8 million project to design “3D modeling of dismantling scenarios and tools for measuring mechanical and physical properties” for dismantling graphite reactors, which will be tested on a full-scale mock-up.
- CLEANDEM is a European project led by 11 organizations, mainly from France and Italy, to develop a robot capable of accurately recording radioactivity, thereby limiting agent exposure and accurately modeling the area.
- IRSN dossier: https://www.irsn.fr/FR/connaissances/Installations_nucleaires/demantelement/Pages/demantelement.aspx
- Cour des Comptes, L’arrêt et le démantèlement des installations nucléaires, https://www.ccomptes.fr/fr/publications/larret-et-le-demantelement-des-installations-nucleaires
- Sénat, L’arrêt et le démantèlement des installations nucléaires, Rapport d’information n° 371 (2019-2020) de M. Jean-François HUSSON, fait au nom de la commission des finances, déposé le 4 mars 2020
- Wikipedia, Nuclear dismantling, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Démantèlement_nucléaire#cite_ref-14