Danish Decommissioning

Man. Director: Ole Kastbjerg Nielsen

DD is a state enterprise established in 2003, which is now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Our main tasks are:

To dismantle the six original nuclear facilities at Risø. The decommissioning must be done in a safe, environmentally sound and economically optimal way.

To receive, treat and store radioactive waste from Danish users of radioactive isotopes.

To participate in the process, which by 2073 must have led to a permanent solution for the radioactive waste. Until then, Danish Decommissioning must store the waste.

We are subject to supervision by The Danish Health Authority, Radiation Protection and by The Danish Emergency Management Agency. We have also established an external whistleblowing scheme where staff and regular partners can submit information on illegal or objectionable matters without fear of negative consequences.

The 85 or so staff carry out a variety of tasks, some of them highly specialised: planning of the decommissioning, dismantling of installations, waste management, operation and maintenance, radiation protection of staff and the environment, administration, etc. Some of the staff know the nuclear installations from when they were in operation.

DD is organised into eight units and a staff function. See organisational chart here and more details below.

More about us

We are divided into nine units plus a staff function

Executive board

Managing Director: Ole Kastbjerg Nielsen and Technical Director: Kirsten Hjerrild Nielsen. The latter, who has a degree in reactor engineering and practical experience from when Risø's reactors were in operation, also acts as DD's nuclear expert.

Quality, Environment & Safety

The function manager for quality, environment and safety reports to the managing director and is responsible for maintaining the quality system and for ensuring compliance with applicable environmental and health and safety legislation. The team also includes a quality manager who maintains the document system as well as plans and conducts audits, a daily health & safety manager and a regulatory authority & quality coordinator.

Quality
The quality management system includes the legal and regulatory requirements that apply to Danish Decommissioning. Danish Decommissioning is certified/accredited in relation to three standards:

  • ISO 9001
  • ISO 17025, which allows Danish Decommissioning to measure and release waste in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements
  • KLS - relating to electricity safety

Environment & Safety
It is a high priority that DD is a safe, healthy and evolving workplace. We monitor environmental legislation and continuously ensure that the necessary environmental permits and approvals are in place. DD management, together with the safety organisation, is responsible for ensuring that the health and safety policy is implemented and that the work environment is satisfactory.

Management Secretariat

Manager: Anja Kraag. This unit supports the entire management/organisation and solves cross-organisational tasks of a strategic nature:

  • Drive forward the process of final disposal of radioactive waste together with other organisations directly involved
  • Handle waste tasks of a long-term strategic nature, related to final disposal
  • Contribute to other political processes and decisions related to DD tasks
  • Assist in law, HR, organisational development and communication
  • Conduct strategic tenders

Finance, IT & Service

Manager: Uffe Brandshøj Christensen. Supports the entire organisation by performing the following main tasks:

  • Strategic financial management
  • IT
  • Information security
  • Operation/maintenance and adaptation of buildings
  • Procurement
  • Administrative operations

Radiation protection

Manager: Mikkel Øberg. Supports the entire organisation by carrying out the following main tasks:

  • Radiation protection: advice, training, control/monitoring and health physical preparedness
  • Waste characterisation (radiological and physical-chemical) and continuous updating of our total waste inventory
  • Documentation and regulatory correspondence, including safety assessments and analyses
  • Contribute to identifying the need for research and development activities in relation to a final repository
  • Maintain our ISO 17025:2017 accreditation for waste release

Laboratories

Manager: João Silva. Supports the entire organisation by performing the following main tasks:

  • Radiation protection: monitoring, assistance and surveillance, including radiation protection preparedness
  • Operation of four laboratories, including waste characterisation
  • Responsibility for sources in laboratories
  • Contribution to tasks in the field of safeguards of nuclear materials

Development & Strategic Waste Planning

Manager: Charlotte Hjorth. Performs technical-operational tasks related to the waste treatment and storage to be carried out at Risø in the coming years:

  • The ongoing project to build a new, upgraded storage facility in collaboration with our advisors
  • Design/development of new facilities including waste management equipment
  • Strategic planning of waste processes, including characterisation, conditioning and volume reduction
  • Documentation and regulatory correspondence related to the team's tasks
  • Safeguards of the nuclear materials covered

Decommissioning

Manager: Bjarne Hindborg Rasmussen. Carries out the planning, coordination, documentation of and regulatory correspondence related to the remaining decommissioning tasks:

  • DR 3
  • Hot Cells
  • The waste treatment plant and storage facilities

Operations & Waste Management

Manager: Kenn-Ulrik Brix Sørensen. Handles the executive tasks related to operations and waste treatment:

  • Technical guard function
  • Waste handling
  • Maintenance of equipment and facilities
  • Waste packaging

Performing Decommissioning

Manager: Niels Ebbesen. Handles the executive tasks related to the decommissioning tasks:

  • Practical decommissioning work
  • Drawings, work schedules, etc.
  • Electrical tasks
  • Waste packaging