The safety of radioactive waste and spent fuel management – PAA at the International Review Meeting
13.07.2022
The 7th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management was held in Vienna. Polish delegation was headed by the PAA Vice President, Andrzej Głowacki.
The purpose of the Convention in force since 2001 is to attain and maintain a high level of safety in spent fuel and radioactive waste management worldwide. The Contracting Parties deliver national reports on their implementation of the Convention’s obligations that are discussed and debated as part of a peer review process during Review Meetings.
The 7th Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties took place in Vienna from 27 June to 8 July. Poland was represented by the experts from the PAA, the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Radioactive Waste Management Plant. During the meeting, geological repositories of radioactive waste, new spent fuel storage facilities or the construction of new near-surface radioactive waste repositories were discussed.
The experts also pointed to the key challenges faced by many countries pertaining to spent fuel and radioactive waste management, e.g. the need of adequate staffing, high-activity spent radioactive source management, and civil society involvement in the decision-making process.
Review meetings of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management take place every three years. The details are available from the IAEA Convention site.