Leading off: The first workshop in the series, “Statuses of Nuclear Decommissioning in Japan and in U.S.—Knowing the Differences,” will be held on Thursday, August 3, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (EDT). This virtual event will feature speakers from industry, regulators, government officials, and academia.
Background: Organized by Tohoku University’s Center for Fundamental Research on Nuclear Decommissioning and the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan, the workshop series intends to cover risk management in nuclear decommissioning—specifically, risks to completing projects in a safe and timely manner.
The workshops will also share experiences in past decommissioning projects in the U.S. and Japan, including technical issues and subjects such as regulatory processes, financial structures, and communicating progress with the local community.
The agenda: The first workshop will focus on technical topics and provide a forum to discuss the status of decommissioning commercial reactors in the two countries, helping to develop questions for future dialogue on how to decommission nuclear facilities safer and more efficiently.
It will also include a panel session moderated by former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairperson Kristine Svinicki.
The scope: According to organizers, the workshop series will be limited to decommissioning operations at power plant sites and will not include topics such as the selection of a disposal site for radioactive waste. The decommissioning of a post-accident reactor also will not be directly covered.
