MAGNITUDE OF THE NUCLEAR DECOM- DECOM-MISSIONING TASK IN AFRICA AND WEST ASIA
2.1. Current situation
A survey was carried out of the existing nuclear facilities in the Africa and West Asia regions, involving research reactors (plus support facilities) and the nuclear fuel cycle (including nuclear power plants). Research reactors and attendant facilities such as isotope production plants are considered together.
The nuclear fuel cycle is considered as a whole, that is, consisting of a fuel sup-ply side (front end) and the spent fuel/waste processing side (back end) after the nuclear power reactor. The front end of the nuclear fuel cycle typically com-prises the following steps: uranium mining; milling and processing; uranium conversion; uranium enrichment; and fuel fabrication facilities. The back end, for its part, includes spent fuel/waste management activities involving treat-ment (reprocessing), interim storage, conditioning and disposal.
Individual countries in the region are considered in terms of the above demarcations. That is, the research reactors and support facilities on the African continent are analysed in Table I, and in the West Asia region in Table II. The nuclear fuel cycle in Africa is analysed in Table III, and that in West Asia in Table IV [1].
BREDELL et al.
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MAGNITUDE OF THE DECOMMISSIONING TASK37 TABLE I. RESEARCH REACTORS AND SUPPORT FACILITIES IN AFRICA
Country Type Capacity Application Status Age
Algeria ES SALAM: 15 000 kW Academic Operational 10 years
Heavy Water 1000 kW training Operational 13 years
NUR: Pool
Democratic TRICO-I 50 kW Shut down 43 years
Republic of TRICO-II 1000 kW Operational 33 years
the Congo
Egypt ETRR-1: Tank WWR 2000 kW Research Operational 40 years
ETRR-2: Pool 22 000 kW Research Operational 5 years
Radwaste treatment plant Unknown ±40 years
Ghana GHARR-1: 30 kW Research, Operational 8 years
MNSR academic, isotopes
Libyan Arab IRT-1 10 000 kW Operational 20 years
Jamahiriya Pool
Morocco MA-R1L 2000 kW Under construction N/A
TRIGA MARKII
Nigeria NIRR-0001: MNSR 30 kW Under construction N/A
Tunisia TRR 2000 kW N/A Planned N/A
Safari 1 20 000 kW fi Research Operational 37 years
MTR Oak Ridge Tank in pool fi Isotope production
Radioisotope production facilities Export Isotope production Operational 37 years Fuel manufacturing Domestic fuel requirements Research reactor fuel fabrication Operational 15 years Liquid radwaste treatment plant Domestic requirements Treatment Operational 40 years Spent fuel/waste storage 600 elements Research reactor spent fuel storage Operational 10 years Disposal sites Unverified Disposal of historic research wastes Shut down 40 years South Africa
2.1.1. Research reactors and support facilities
There are a total of 23 research reactors in the Africa and West Asia regions, ranging from 30 to 26 000 kW in thermal power [2]. They are in 14 countries and 15 are currently operational, with a further unverified reactor believed to be operational. There are three shut down reactors, one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the other two in Iraq. The latter two were destroyed by aerial bombardment during the Gulf War in 1991 [3].
Morocco and Nigeria are both currently constructing research reactors, whereas Jordan and Tunisia have one each in the planning stages.
Pool type reactors are the most common, with TRIGA and Miniature Neutron Source Reactors (MNSR) being popular. The reactors are mainly used for academic, research, industrial and agricultural purposes. The nature of the ancillary facilities is uncertain in most instances, but they are likely to include analytical, isotope production and hot cell facilities.
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TABLE II. RESEARCH REACTORS AND SUPPORT FACILITIES IN WEST ASIA
Country Type Capacity (kW) Application Status Age
ENTC LWSCR 0 Operational 10 years
ENTC MNSR 0 Operational 7 years
Islamic Rep.
ENTCLWSCR 0 Operational 10 years
of Iran
ENTC MNSR 30 Operational 8 years
TRR: Pool 5000 Operational 35 years
Iraq IRT-5000: Pool 5000 Shut down 35 years
Tammuz-2: Pool 500 Shut down 35 years
IRR-1: Pool 5000 Research,
Operational 42 years
Israel academic
IRR-2: Heavy water 26 000 Unverified 39 years
Jordan LPNRR 30 MNSR Planned
Syrian, SRR-1: MNSR 2000 Operational 6 years
Arab Republic
MAGNITUDE OF THE DECOMMISSIONING TASK39 TABLE III. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE IN AFRICA (UG: underground; OP: open pit)
Country Facility Capacity Application Status Age
Egypt Mining and milling None Extraction of uranium Semi-pilot plant
Commissioned
from phosphoric acid 1999
Gabon Mining and milling Uranium mining,
Centre 1: UG 16 000 t U total milling and processing Shut down 1997
N/A
Centre 2: OP 12 000 t U total Shut down 1999
Madagascar Mining and milling None Uranothorianite Shut down 1963 10 years
concentrate production
Namibia Mining and milling Uranium mining,
Rossing (OP) 1999: 4000 t U/a milling and processing 26 years
(70 000 t U total)
Niger Mining and milling Uranium mining,
Centre 1: OP 1500 t U/a milling and processing Operating 32 years
(36 000 t U total)
Centre 2: UG 2300 t U/a Operating 24 years
(43 000 t U total)
BREDELL et al.40 TABLE III. (cont.)
Country Facility Capacity Application Status Age
Mining and milling: Gold mining industry producing
fiHartebeest Fontein (UG) 1959: 17 U plants uranium as a by-product 46 years
fiVaal Reefs (UG) 1999: 3 U plants Operational 25 years
fiPalabora (OP) 1500 t U/a 23 years
(153 000 t U total)
Conversion plants Pilot plant Decomm. 1985
N/A
(Pelindaba) Commercial plant
1000 t U/a UF6production Decomm. 1999
South Africa Enrichment plants Pilot plant HEU production Decomm. 1990
N/A
(Pelindaba) Commercial plant LEU production Decomm. 1995
300 t SWU/a
Fuel fabrication plant 100 t·HM/a PWR fuel fabrication Decomm. 1997 N/A
(Pelindaba)
Power plant 2 ¥960 MW Electricity production Operational 17 years
2 ¥PWR reactors (Koeberg)
Spent fuel storage ARS approx. 1500 t HM Storage in reactor pools Operational, 17 years
(Koeberg) re-racked 2000
Waste storage/disposal Near surface repository: LILW(SL) disposal in trenches Operational 16 years
(Vaalputs) Variable since 1986
South Africa is the only country that is known to fuel its research reactor with locally manufactured fuel elements using indigenous uranium. Other countries import their fuel from the reactor vendor countries, with many hav-ing a ‘take back’ agreement with the supplier. Fuel supply countries include the Russian Federation, China and Argentina.
2.1.2. Nuclear fuel cycle facilities
These facilities are largely confined to the mining, milling and processing aspects in the areas under consideration. Gabon, Namibia, Niger and South Africa are the only countries in the region currently producing uranium.
Previous producers include the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar. Production is from both underground and open pit facilities. The production levels of the countries give an indication of the size of the facilities that would need to be decommissioned. On this basis, South Africa would clearly have the greatest liability in that up to 17 uranium plants have been operational since uranium production commenced in 1952. Declines in the ura-nium market have seen declines in production from all the countries, with South Africa’s current production being derived from only three plants. Most of these facilities involved mining, milling and processing activities, but
MAGNITUDE OF THE DECOMMISSIONING TASK 41
TABLE IV. NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE IN WEST ASIA
Country Facility Capacity Application Status
Al Skhair
Unknown Uranium production Entombed uranium mine
Shargat EMIS
Unknown Uranium enrichment Destroyed Facility
Iraq Al Quaim
Uranium
Unknown Uranium purification Destroyed Purification
Facility Jessira Uranium
Unknown Uranium conversion Destroyed Processing Plant
Note:Other West Asian countries may have nuclear fuel cycle related facilities, but no public information is available.
Madagascar, for example, had no processing facilities and exported uranotho-rianite concentrate [4].
The decommissioning activities related to mining operations fall into two categories. One is the safe disposal of the tailings materials and the other is the decontamination of process equipment where radionuclides have concentrated during the extraction processes.
Namibia, Niger and Gabon are all primary uranium producers. The deposits exploited are sandstone hosted in Gabon and Niger, and alaskitic granite hosted in Namibia. Gabon is notable in that some of its uranium pro-duction was from the natural reactor site at the Oklo deposits [5]. South Africa produces its uranium as a by-product of gold from quartz pebble conglomerate deposits. Countries such as Iraq and Egypt have investigated the extraction of uranium as a by-product from sedimentary phosphate deposits.
Other fuel cycle facilities such as enrichment plants and conversion plants are limited to South Africa where they have been shut down for some time.
Iraq was developing many of these types of facilities as part of its weaponiza-tion programme, prior to the Gulf War in 1991, but these have all been either destroyed or shut down and dismantled by the IAEA [3].
The back end of the nuclear fuel cycle is little represented in Africa and West Asia other than by interim storage facilities associated with existing nuclear facilities. South Africa also has the only licensed radioactive waste dis-posal facility in the region. Facilities of this type will have to be developed to dispose of the waste generated by the decommissioning of existing and future nuclear facilities of all types. They themselves will have to be decommissioned and remediated prior to their final and ultimate closure.
Nuclear fuel cycle facilities may be present in other countries, but their existence has not been publicly acknowledged.