Waste Management & Decommissioning

Every nuclear installation will reach its end of life at some point. NRG PALLAS has accumulated years of experience in handling radioactive waste responsibly, efficiently and safely. An expertise we also apply to the decommissioning of nuclear installations. Read more about our nuclear waste management.

Areas of expertise

Characterisation

Sorting & packaging

Consultancy

Waste characterisation

Radioactive waste is a multi-faceted subject. It is important to determine (characterise) the composition of the waste. This enables us to know precisely how to handle the material. Characterisation of radioactive waste is therefore very important.

To inspect the radioactive material, we perform destructive and non-destructive testing methods. Using destructive methods, the material we test will break down. Using non-destructive testing, the material remains intact. Some materials are ‘hot’, or highly radioactive. We have developed special and unique facilities to handle such materials. We can perform the following types of characterisations:

Reactor components, such as control rods, reactor vessels and biological shields
Historical radioactive waste (‘legacy waste’)
Operational waste streams from the nuclear industry, NORM industry and hospitals
Bulk materials for clearance and free release

Laboratory services

Waste sorting and packaging

The storage costs for radioactive waste are largely dependent on the waste category. By sorting waste, the storage costs can be dramatically reduced. NRG PALLAS has developed unique systems for sorting, characterising and packaging waste thanks to our own Radioactive Waste Management Programme (RWMP).

One of these systems is HIRARCHI®. This unique, non-destructive system was developed in-house to categorise waste into low, intermediate and high radioactivity levels in an efficient manner.

Consultancy

The decommissioning of nuclear installations, complete with their respective Nuclear waste management streams is a costly process. The transportation of the nuclear waste also has a price tag. During the design of a nuclear installation, these facets have to be planned, including costs for decommissioning and waste management.

Are you looking for a partner who can provide independent advice? We advise customers from industry and government, both at home and abroad. We are familiar with national and international standards and legislations. This enables us to correctly asses costs and impact. Our knowledge is up to date and practical, because of:

Our own R&D
Activities in our own nuclear facilities
Contribution to international (research) projects

We can help you with

We advise our customers on:

Decommissioning plans, cost estimations and audits for decommissioning projects
Radioactive waste management; incorporating the most recent rules and legislation whilst anticipating possible future changes
Development of sustainable, safe and efficient waste streams
Optimal waste packaging methods and transport procedures
Inspection of the stability of waste packages and matrices, for middle and long-term storage, using computational models and measurements
Safety assessments of radioactive waste storage and final disposal facilities, (safety cases)

Using interviews and workshops, we focus on creating an interactive environment for our customers. This enables you to formulate a plan of action together with our nuclear waste managment experts.