The eighth assessment meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was held in Vienna at the beginning of April.
At the Joint Convention assessment meeting, the countries that are parties to the Convention presented their national reports describing the situation of spent fuel and radioactive waste management in 2021–2023. All national reports were assessed in assessment groups consisting of representatives from different countries.
The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) was responsible for compiling the national report in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE), TVO Corporation, Fortum Power and Heat Oy, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Posiva Oy. STUK, MEAE and Posiva also presented the content of the report at the meeting.
The group assessing the Finnish report thanked Finland for its openness and stated that openness helps other countries learn when they are developing their own final disposal projects. The final disposal project for spent nuclear fuel in Finland is much further along than in many other countries using nuclear power. Since the previous assessment meeting held in 2022, many countries have made significant progress in their final disposal projects for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.
In its assessment, the group paid attention to how radioactive waste subject to the Radiation Act and generated in places other than in nuclear power plants is managed in Finland. Responsibilities and the division of tasks in managing waste are not completely clear in Finland, and there is no clear route to final disposal for all waste.
The assessment group also noted that the drafting of the overall reform of the Nuclear Energy Act and its supplementary regulations is challenging for those preparing the reform, which is currently under way in Finland. In the opinion of the assessment group, it is not at all easy to take into account all the operators involved in the matter, and the matter requires special attention during preparation, implementation and application.
Joint Convention assessment meetings are held every three years. At the meeting held now, it was decided that, in addition to normal reporting, the 2028 assessment meeting will specifically address preparing for events caused by nature and man and the management of radioactive waste produced by new technologies.
