18 Oct ARTEMIS report published
The Danish system for the management of radioactive waste has been evaluated by an international group of experts. The report is now available, with 7 recommendations and 2 proposals.
Apanel of four international experts in radioactive waste management from Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Lithuania, as well as three representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), formed the ARTEMIS mission, which visited Denmark from 1 to 9 May 2022 to observe and evaluate the Danish radioactive waste management system.
With this evaluation, Denmark fulfils its obligation under the Waste Directive (2011/70/Euratom), according to which efforts in this area must be evaluated every ten years.
The recommendations and proposals are compiled in a report detailing the background to the recommendations and proposals, which is now available in its final form.
ARTEMIS
The purpose of ARTEMIS "Integrated Review Service For Radioactive Waste And Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning And Remediation" is to provide independent expert recommendations based on the standards described by the IAEA.
ARTEMIS missions involve country visits and discussions with relevant stakeholders.
In addition to Danish Decommissioning , the ARTEMIS mission to Denmark has also been in dialogue with representatives from the Ministry of Health, The Danish Health Authority, Ministry of Higher Education and Science, The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science and The Danish Emergency Management Agency.
It is thus not only Danish Decommissioning and the practical waste management and its organisation that ARTEMIS report makes recommendations on, but equally the legislation and the framework set for radioactive waste in Denmark.
A good tool for the future
Ole Kastbjerg Nielsen, Director of Danish Decommissioning, welcomes the ARTEMIS report.
"For us at Danish Decommissioning , the report is a great tool for our future work. In addition to the concrete recommendations and suggestions, the work with ARTEMIS has also given us good recommendations for our further work on managing Denmark's radioactive waste."
Ole Kastbjerg Nielsen explains further.
"At least every ten years, Denmark must, according to the Waste Directive, carry out an evaluation of the overall system for the management of radioactive waste. It is satisfactory that the report concludes that the Danish system is functioning well overall and meets international safety standards."
Conclusion
In addition to the 7 recommendations and 2 proposals, the report states that the ARTEMIS expert panel generally takes a positive view of Denmark's management of radioactive waste, and thus also of the work of the Danish Decommissioning Authority.
"In summary, the ARTEMIS Review Team considers that the Danish system for management of spent fuel and radioactive waste has a well-developed infrastructure, provides robustness, effectiveness and safety now and in the future. Denmark has demonstrated the commitment and ability to enhance the safety of radioactive waste and spent fuel management" - ARTEMIS report p. 2.
The 7 recommendations and 2 proposals can be read in the full report which you can find here.
Questions
If you have any questions about the ARTEMIS report, please contact Communications Advisor Casper Boe Jensen at casje@dekom.dk