What waste is produced during decommissioning of nuclear power plants?
In the event of definitive shutdown of a nuclear power plant, all irradiated fuel in it, both from the reactor core and stored in the pools, which is the high-activity waste, is withdrawn from the plant as quickly as possible, In the case of water reactors, the cooling water and other contaminated liquids are then treated by concentrating and solidifying them with cement in metal cans. This produces low- or medium-activity waste which is removed from the plant. Finally, all low- and medium-activity solid waste that may be stored in the plant waiting for shipment to final storage is also removed from the plant. Two different but interrelated processes will then take place: decontamination and dismantling. Decontamination includes all cleaning operations required to remove small deposits of radioactive waste that may attach to the surfaces of the vessel, tubes, pumps, circuits, equipment, floors, etc. Dismantling is the disassembly and demolition of the concrete or metal structures, pipi
