Nov. 2007

No.19
Nuclear Safety
Research Assotiation

Waste Management as a Barometer of CultureFirstly, I would like to send my sincere respect for all members working onRadioactive Waste Management project under the umbrella of Forum for Nuclear
Cooperation in Asia (FNCA). The FNCA is an international cooperation regime
promoting the utilization of nuclear energy to develop and improve the national
welfare, where a lot of projects have been organized and achieved successfully
in medicine, agriculture, industry, and so on. With reminding radioactive waste
left much or less behind the abundant of fruits, I would like to stress that it isinevitably important to tackle the subject for dealing safely with radioactive waste.
Dr. Shunichi TANAKA

So far there has been no country as confirmed completely radioactive waste

Vice-chair, Atomic Energy
Commission of Japan

management, because it is difficult to get over steep hills in not only technology,
cost, and legal but also public acceptance.
Waste is inevitably produced with the action of human being as daily life andindustrial development. The waste management, however, have been fallen behind, resulting lots of problems
such as environmental pollution and relevant diseases. Green house gas (GHG) is a kind of issue of waste
management which human being has to overcome it by worldwide collaboration, as well.
It is easy to enjoy the fruit and hardly easy to manage the waste. Waste management is a barometer picturing
the culture of community. Needless to say, radioactive waste must be dealt safely and properly. In this context,
the activity of RWM in FNCA is more significant than other projects. I expect that you develop the cooperation in
Asian counties for RWM as a front runner, and inspire and lead the discussion and policy about radioactive waste
in the world.

Record of RMW Workshops
1) 1995 RMW Seminar

Japan (Tokyo)

8) 2002 RMW Workshop

Korea (Daejeon)

2) 1996 RMW Seminar

Malaysia(Kuala Lumpur)9) 2003 RMW Workshop

Indonesia(Jakarta)

3) 1997 RMW Seminar

China(Beijing)10) 2004 RMW Workshop

Malaysia(Kuala Lumpur)4) 1998 RMW Workshop

Thailand(Bangkok)

11) 2005 RMW Workshop

Japan (Okayama Pref.)5) 1999 RMW Workshop

The Philippines(Manila)

12) 2006 RMW Workshop

China(Beijing)6) 2000 RMW Workshop

Australia(Sydney)

7) 2001 RMW Workshop

Viet Nam (Da Lat)

13) 2007 RMW Workshop

Thailand(Bangkok)

Paticipants: 370 Persons (cumulative up to 2006)

Decommissioning and Clearance
Task Group
Discussion/Survey Meeting in
Thailand
Nanthavan Ya-anantNuclear Science Specialist
Radioactive Waste
Management Center
Thailand Institute of Nuclear
Technology (TINT)

The Task Group Activities, Discussion/Survey
Meeting on Decommissioning and Clearance washeld from August 6 to 10, 2007. This meeting washosted by Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology(TINT), Ministry of Science and Technology, as
the local host organization, and the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) of Japan, in cooperation with Nuclear Safety
Research Association (NSRA).

Conclusion
In the final discussion, all parties recognized
and the importance of exchanging informationand provision of technical and human resources
support in strengthening the personnel competency,
legislation and infrastructure for Decommissioning,
Clearance, NORM/TENORM issues.

Thailand provided the venue as the fifth country
based FNCA-2007 activity with hosting the ThailandJapan Discussion/Survey meeting in Bangkok. Dr.
Somporn Chongkum, TINT Executive Director,
welcomed the Tasks group and expressed his
appreciation for the FNCA Task Group visit. The
FNCA Task Group was led by Prof. Toshiso Kosako( Japan Project Leader, RWM) and comprised ofDr. Takuya ABE (University of Tokyo), Mr. Takayuki
AMAYA(MEXT) and Mr.Hideharu SATO (NSRA).

The Task Group, the TINT and the OAP agreed
on the following:a) I t is important to balance cost and safety
consideration in the management of NORM/TENORM.
b) G uidelines of NORM/TENORM should beharmonized based on international guidelines/
standards in order to avoid trade confusion
among FNCA countries.
c) Exchange of information and experiences is themost effective means in addressing the issues.
d) M anpower development through training
programs in FNCA countries with advancetechnologies and capabilities.

Decommissioning/ Clearance
The topics that were discussed during theDecommissioning and Clearance discussion andsurvey meeting were the following:a) R ecent status of Decommissioning andClearance in both countriesb) O utline of regulation on Decommissioning/Clearance and NORM- TENORM in bothcountriesc) Ways of cooperation on Decommissioning
and Clearance within the FNCA framework toprovide adequate radiation protection

The group expressed their appreciation to theJapanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT), the Nuclear Safety
Research Association (NSRA), Thailand Ministryof Science and Technology (MOST), the Office ofAtoms for Peace (OAP) and Thailand Institute of
Nuclear Technology (TINT) for their supports infacilitating the participation of the expert teams fromboth sides, Japan and Thailand.
They also expressed their appreciation to
the Mae Moh Power Plant and Coal Mining of
the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand(EGAT), and also the Bangkok Steel Industry PublicCompany(Ltd) for their hospitalities for the technicalvisits.

Technical visits
The Japanese delegation and personnel fromTINT and OAP visited Mae Moh Power Plant andCoal Mining of the Electricity Generation Authorityof Thailand (EGAT), Lumpang province and also
the Bangkok Steel Industry Public Company(Ltd) in
Samuthprakarn province for the technical visits.
VIETNAM Task Report in 2007
Cao Dinh Thanh
Deputy Director
Department for Planning and
R&D Management
Vietnam Atomic Energy
Commission(VAEC)

Monazite Pilot Plant at Phung
60Co Source in Da Nang
General Hospital, having
not been used since 2002

Tran Ngoc Toan
Deputy Director
Centre of Radiation
Protectionand Enviroment
MonitoringInstitute of
Nuclear Science andTechnology(INST)

Date: Aug. 20-25, 2007, Main Subject:
Decommissioning/Clearance, Japanese expertsof visit: Prof. Dr. T. Kosako and Dr. T. Iimoto (Theuniv. of Tokyo), Ms. M. Matsumoto (NSRA). SiteVisit Targets were1) F acility of RWM Temporary Storage andMonazite Pilot Plant at Phung,2) Da Nang General Hospital, and
3) Thanh Tam Co. Ltd. (black beach sand).

TDa Nang General Hospital site-visit

in detail as possible.
Japan and Vietnam recognized importanceof exchange of information and provision oftechnical support, in strengthening infrastructureon Decommissioning / Clearance issues, whichshould cover:(1) Information exchange of updated technologies
of radiation waste, especially of low andintermediate,(2) Manpower development by effective training
programs on these issues, and(3) P ractical cooperation in strengthening
measurement technology / methods throughintercomparison program among the FNCA
countries.

Temporary RWM Storage at Phung

The following information is presented in thediscussion.
a) RWM in Vietnam, b) Japanese guideline for
NORM/TENORM WM, c) Clearance system inJapan, d) Decommissioning experiences in Japan.
Both country were agreed that categorizationof the RW be important to success an effective
management.
Operator should have the all responsibilities
on the RWM to plan and establish a clearance
procedure. Related authority should construct anational clearance system and should check theoperator’s plan and procedure.
Before dismantling a facility related to nuclear
materials, its operated history should be recorded as

Both sides also recognized that they could utilize
stepwise approach of NORM/TENORM RWM inorder to improve Decommissioning and Clearance
strategy.

Thanh Tam Co. Ltd. in Quang Nam Provinceand cement conditioning and packaging, increased
storage, improved decontamination systems,
upgrading of active ventilation systems andupgrading of the LLSW drum gamma system forcharacterisation of LLSW.
* Upgraded and improved processing of Low Level
Liquid Wastes (LLLW) including refurbishment of theremaining LLLW storage tanks and infrastructure,
implementation of a new sludge drying processincorporating a drum drying system, and safety
improvements.
* Upgrading Intermediate Level Liquid Waste (ILLW)
processing for intermediate level liquid wastes
arising from the production of medical radioisotopes.
* Upgrading of Intermediate Level Solid Waste
processing, including improved shielding to reduceradiation dose, and the installation of an ion
exchange resin process to condition and package
radioactive ion exchange resins.
* Process development for treatment of
miscellaneous organic wastes.
* Upgrading of existing Hot Cells.
* Rationalisation of security arrangements following
the shutdown of the HIFAR reactor.
* Improved analytical monitoring and analyticalsystems to complement the increased volumes ofradioactive wastes that may be generated.
Funding of up to A$11.5 million has been allocatedover the next 5 years. The major projects in the 5
Year Plan include the upgrading of low level solid
waste characterisation (gamma scanning) of 200
litre steel drums, followed by super compaction,
placement of the compacted drums in engineered
over pack containers and final cement encapsulation.
Low level solid waste characterisation will be
carried our using 3 gamma scanning techniques:* Portable Gamma Scanner for larger over packs(final packages and general waste containers).
* Low activity gamma scanner for 200 litre steel
waste drums enabling free release of decayed andexempt level waste.
* Higher activity Segmented Gamma Scanner for
200 litre and 400 litre steel waste drums.
The super compaction process will enable volume
reduction of the majority of the 6000 drum (200litres) drum inventory of low level solid waste andplacement in engineered over pack containers for
final cement encapsulation. ANSTO is continuing todevelop a suitable cement encapsulation mediumthat would conform to any future waste acceptancecriteria for a near or above surface low level waste
repository.

Site-Visit to Black
Beach Sand

Main members in the ITRRE
discussion

Upgrading of Radioactive Waste
Management Facilities at
ANSTO - 5 Year Plan
Lubi Dimitrovski
FNCA RWM Project Leaderof Australia
Waste Operations
Australian Nuclear Science&Technology Organisation

ANSTO has implemented a 5 Year Radioactive
Waste Management Plan in order to ensure its
radioactive waste management facilities are capableof supporting ANSTO’s needs now and in the future.
The 5 Year Plan provides key activities that will:* Ensure the current and future direction for Waste
Operations processes are consistent with ANSTO’s
Strategic Plan.
* Demonstrate preparedness to cater for current
and future radioactive waste management needs,
including waste arising from the operations of the
new OPAL Reactor and from the decommissioningof the HIFAR and MOATA Reactors.
* Ensure ongoing facility maintenance activities areplanned and carried out in a timely manner.
* Meet regulatory and customer requirements.
* Ensure financial issues are addressed throughvalue for money driven operations.
* Use processes that are best practice andstreamlined to serve ANSTO’s needs.
The 5 Year Plan has identified the following
improvements for the management of radioactive
wastes:* Upgraded and improved processing for Low Level
Solid Wastes (LLSW), including super compactionSuper compaction tests conducted using inactive
200 L drums

Commercially available Portable gamma scanner

Conceptual drawing of over pack containers
being assessed for use for low level wasteconditioning and packaging

In addition to the upgrading of low level solid
waste management processes, ANSTO will also be
upgrading its existing decontamination facility. This
will provide the capacity to decontaminate waste
items to enable free release, and will especially
support decontamination of equipment arisingfrom the future decommissioning of the 2 research
reactors that have been shut down permanently. In
order to provide an integrated facility for processing/decontamination of radioactive wastes, theexisting processing Waste Treatment & Packaging
Facility (WT&PF) will be extended and upgradedto accommodate the additional radioactive waste
treatment processes.

The Canberra Q2 Low Level Waste
Assay System currently in use

A commercially available segmented
waste assay system

Upgraded and extended Waste Treatment
and Packaging Facility

Decontamination processing will include anengineered fully-ventilated chamber, allowing
multiple decontamination techniques suchas pressure blasting, plasma arc cutting andconventional chemical cleaning methods to be
utilised.

The 1000 tonne press earmarked for supercompacting 200 L drums
addition, a new aluminum tank was placed as a liner
inside the old one. This new liner is then becominga reference for the period of reactor operability.
Referring to the liner, the reactor is predicted to be
operable until 2015, after which the reactor shall be
decommissioned.
Recently, the reactor operation is limited by theRegulatory Body to about 1250 kW maximum, due
to some safety problems relating to heat transfer inthe core.

Establishment of Study Group for
Decommissioning of Research
Reactors in Indonesia
Djarot S. Wisnubroto
Radioactive Waste
Technology Center
National Nuclear Energy
Agancy - BATAN

Table 1. Operating data of the research reactors
in Indonesia

Currently, there are three research reactors
operating in Indonesia. Those are Bandung Triga
2000 (2000 kW) at Bandung - West Java , Kartini
Research Reactor (100 kW) at Yogyakarta - Central
Java and Siwabessy Multipurpose Reactor (30MW) at Serpong - West Java. These reactors areoperated by the National Nuclear Energy Agency(BATAN). The age of the three research reactors
varies from 20 to 43 years since the reactors
reached their first criticality. All the three reactors
are in operation. However, they have different
operating experiences, since they were built indifferent periods. Table 1 shows the data for thethree reactors. As from Table 1, Bandung Triga 2000
reactor is the oldest among them.
Bandung Triga 2000 reactor has reached firstcriticality in year 1964, which means that the reactor
has been operated about 43 years. Since its firstcriticality, the reactor has been modified several
times. In the first time, the reactor was operated at
a power of 250kW. The reactor was then upgradedto 1000 kW power level in 1971, and to 2000 kW
in 2000[1]. During the last upgrading project, some
important components were replaced or modified.
The old core with a circular configuration has
been modified to be that with a hexagonal one. In

ReactorPowre[kW]Type
FuelFirst Critical
Operator
Application
LocationGA
Siwabessy
Rector
2000
100
30,000Triga Ⅱ
Triga ⅡMTR
U3Si2-AI
UO2
UO2（plate）
Year 1964
Year 1979
Year 1987
BATAN
BATAN
BATAN
Research,Research,training and Research and training andisotpetraining
isotpeproduction
production
Bandung,
Yogyakarta
Serpong,West JAVA Central JAVA West JAVA
Banding
Triga 2000

KartiniReactorThere is no decision yet for the decommissioningof the three research reactors, however sooner
or later it will be an object for the near futuredecommissioning program. Anticipation for theabove situation is necessary. A study group has
been established in February 2007, and themembers of this group consist of researchers
from RWTC, reactor operators and BAPETEN
personnel. The group meets every 4 months toevaluate the decommissioning program for eachreactor. At present, RWTC has published guidance
document, and the operator of the reactors assisted
by RWTC is now revising
documents of decommissioning
program. There is a new
Government Regulation, No.
43/2007 on Nuclear Reactor
Licensing, containing somedecommissioning articles, andi t i s s t i p u l a t e d t h a t B ATA N
itself should conduct thedecommissioning of research
reactors. For Indonesian case,an early decommissioning
strategy for research reactor
and restricted use of the site
for other nuclear installation
is more favorable, talking into
account the high land pricing, theavailability of radioactive waste
repository, and cost analysis.

Fig.1. Location of the three research reactors in Indonesia
aspects by ‘the disposal method selecting
committee’.
The disposal caverns will be consisted of 42
vertical silos and 5 horizontal caves, with a unit
capacity of 16,700 drums per silo and 20,000 drums
per horizontal cave.
Sectional dimensions are 26.8 meters in diameterand 48 meters in height for vertical silo and 20
meters in width, 12 meters in height, and 140 metersin length for horizontal cave.
The vertical silos will accept the waste from
nuclear power plant operation and radioisotope
waste, and the horizontal cave will accept
decommissioning waste.
The construction will be begun at the end of
2007, and the first stage construction project will becompleted by the end of 2009.

Status of LILW Repository
Construction in Korea
Hyung Joon Kim
Manager/Technology & Policy
Team Radiation R&D Office
NuclearEnvironment
Technology Institute (NETEC)
Korea Hydro & Nuclear
Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP)

Jong Hyun Ha
General Manager
Radiation R&D Office Nuclear
Environment Technology
Institute (NETEC)
Korea Hydro & Nuclear
Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP)

Since the Bong-Gil Ri, Yangbuk-Myun, GyeongJu city was designated as the low-and intermediatelevel waste (LILW) repository site in November 2005,
various activities have been conducted including
a geological investigation and administrative
procedures.
In January 2007, the Korea Hydro & Nuclear PowerCo. submitted an Application for Implementation Plan
to Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Energy (MOCIE)
and MOICE approved it in September 2007. Currently,
Application for Construction & Operation Permit isbeing reviewed by Ministry of Science & Technology(MOST) and it is expected to be approved by
December 2007.
The LILW disposal facility will have 100,000
drums of capacity in the first stage. After then,the capacity of the facility will be increased up to
800,000 drums by stages.
LILW will be disposed in rock caverns, which will
be excavated in solid rock about 80 meters beneath.
The disposal method was determined in June 2006
through the review of technical and sociologicalFig. Rock Cavern-Type Disposal Facility

Cooperation activity with local
community at the Ningyo-toge
Environmental Engineering
Center, Japan Atomic Energy
Agency.
Tomohisa Zaitsu
Deputy Department Manager,
Environmental Research andDevelopment Department,
Ningyo-toge Environmental
Engineering Center,
Japan Atomic Energy
Agency(JAEA)

Kazuhiko Sato
Chief, Engineer
Environmental Technical
Section, Environmental
Research and Development
Department, Ningyo-toge
Environmental Engineering
Center,Japan Atomic Energy
Agency(JAEA)

At the Ningyo-toge Engineering Environmental
Center (Ningyo-toge Center) of Japan AtomicEnergy Agency (JAEA), wide variety of R&D worksof the front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle such as
mining & milling, and gas centrifuge enrichment
had been carried out since a uranium ore bodywas discovered at the Ningyo-toge pass in 1955.
At present time, installations and facilities utilized
for those works at Ningyo-toge Center are on thephase of decommissioning. In order to implement
decommissioning program at Ningyo-toge Centersafely and smoothly, it is necessary to keep in mind
that local government opinion and public perception
should be taking consideration into each process
among the decommissioning program more carefully
than operational phase.
JAEA has been putting in efforts to reflect
those opinion and perception into the upcoming
decommissioning plan of Ningyo-toge Center
through discussions and meetings with local
government (Kagamino-cho) and local communities.
Other efforts to obtain public perception includesite tour, technical cooperation to vaseline glass(“Uranglas” in Germany) manufacturing which is
promoted by Kagamino-cho, and so on.
1) Uranium exploration exhibition gallery
One of galleries located within the site of Ningyotoge Center is open to the public for exhibition
purpose. Dimensions of the gallery are a width of
3m, a height of 2m and a depth of 42m. Conceptof the exhibition is to present authentic condition of
uranium occurrence in one ore deposit scale with asituation of uranium exploration in 1950’s incunabulaof atomic energy development in Japan. Number ofvisitors counts about 4,300 people since 2005. That
number includes that of extracurricular activities at
local primary, junior high and high schools.

glassblowing experience and glassware exhibition
was opened in April 2008.

Fig.2 Vaseline glass

Overview Of Rokkasho Nuclear
Fuel Cycle Facilities And
Performance Of LLW Disposal
Kazuhiro Mitamura
General Manager ofRadioactive Waste Disposal
Planning Dept.
Radioactive Waste Disposal
Business Div.
Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited(JNFL)

Supported by the community’s understanding
and cooperation, Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited(JNFL) engages in the reprocessing of nuclear fuel,Mox fuel fabrication, and enrichment of uranium,
temporary storage of high-level radioactive waste,
and disposal of low-level radioactive waste in orderto realize “semi-national energy production” orenergy generation with which reliance on foreignenergy resources is greatly reduced.
JNFL engages in these projects in Rokkashomura of Aomori Prefecture. This district is situated in
the southern part of the Shimokita Peninsula in thenorthern corner of the prefecture, which lies at thenorthern tip of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
Overview Of Rokkasho Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities
JNFL now operates three types of facilities: the
Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Vitrified Waste
Storage Center, and the Low-Level Radioactive
Waste Disposal Center. JNFL is also focusing on
reprocessing plant operation as the core of thenuclear fuel cycle and its MOX fuel fabrication
business as well.
1. Uranium Enrichment Plant
The Uranium Enrichment Plant has centrifuges
system and are to provide for an ultimate capacityof 1,500 ton-SWU/y, enough to meet about one
third of the nuclear fuel needs of nuclear power
stations in Japan. Currently, the plant is operating at
a capacity of 1,050 ton-SWU/y, which is equivalent
to the nuclear fuel required to run 8 or 9 reactors at
1,000MW-class nuclear power plants for one year.
2. Vitrified Waste Storage Center
Since the Reprocessing Plant has not been
completed in Rokkasho-mura, Japan’s spent fuel2) Vaseline glass manufacturing
Kagamino-cho has been promoting manufacturingof vaseline glass (“Uranglas” in Germany) dopedwith a minor amount of uranium which was producedby Ningyo-toge Center. Its glassware is named“Yohsei-no-mori-garasu (glass of fairy forest)”.
JAEA is supporting in the field of radiological safetyassessment and so on. “Yohsei-no-mori-garasu”
studio and museum which offer opportunity for

Fig.1 Uranium exploration exhibition gallery
Performance Of The LowLevel Radioactive Waste
Disposal CenterAt nuclear power stations,operations and maintenancegenerate low-level radioactive
waste, such as work clothes,
gloves, and water and paper
used to clean the power
station floors. At each power
station, liquid waste is first
boiled and concentrated. The
concentration is solidified bybeing mixed with cement orbitumen or plastic and thensealed into drums. Flammablewaste is burned and sealed into drums. Nonflammable waste, such as metal, is compressed or
melted when possible, and then sealed into drums
as well. These waste drums are safely stored ininterim site storages of stations, and then they aretransported to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Disposal Center.
Approved for a total capacity of 80,000m3(400,000 200-liter drums), the center has now it’s theNo.1 Disposal Facility (for liquid waste) in operation
with a capacity of 40,000m3 (200,000 200-liter
drums), and the No.2 Disposal Facility (for solid
waste) with capacity equivalent to that of the No.1
Disposal Facility. The performances on September
2007 are 137,000 drums and 60,000 drums for eachfacilities.
In accordance with the concept of burying lowlevel radioactive wastes generated in nuclear fuelcycle facilities in this disposal center in the future,
we plan for the ultimate capacity of the LowLevel Radioactive Waste Disposal Center to be
600,000m3.

has been reprocessed in France and the United
Kingdom. Currently, the center has a storage
capacity of 1,440 vitrified canisters. The facility will
ultimately be expanded to accommodate 2,880
vitrified canisters.
3. Reprocessing Plant
The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant is the firstcommercial reprocessing plant in Japan. The
maximum reprocessing capacity of the plant is 800
ton-U/year, enough to reprocess the spent fuelproduced from about 40 reactors at 1,000MW-classnuclear power stations.
4. MOX Fuel Fabrication Business
Since 1998, we have been conducting domestic
and international studies into the technology used for
MOX fuel fabrication. Subsequently, we proceededwith preparations including the plant baseline design
and, on 2001,we asked Aomori Prefecture andRokkasho-mura to cooperate in the proposed siting.
On 2005, we concluded a basic agreement on siting.
The following is the outline of the planned MOX
Fabrication Plant.
Product MOX fuel assembly for domestic lightwater reactor (BWR and PWR)
Maximum fabrication capacity 130t-HM/year
Start of construction
As soon as safety
agreement obtained

The Proposed Radioactive Waste
Management Regulations
Syed Abdul Malik Syed Zain
FNCA RWM Project Leaderof
Malaysia,Manager,
Radioactive Waste
Management Centre
Malaysian Nuclear Agency
Nuclear Malaysia)Ministryof Science, Technology &Innovation (MOSTI)

Mohd Yasin Sudin
Director of Licensing Division
Atomic Energy Licensing
Board (AELB)
Ministry of Science,
Technology & Innovation(MOSTI)

Stacking Drums Waste packages arestacked inside the disposal facility.
that it should be either when the company intends toperform waste management activity (application forclass G license) or when there appears a need tohandle radioactive waste.
2. Terminology for spent sealed Sources
There is still no specific term given to thespent sealed source. The term has been usedinterchangeably with disused sealed source. As theuse of term needs to be consistent throughout theregulations, hence the committee has to decide on
the most preferable of the two and provide in theinterpretation section.
3. Discharge of radioactive waste
The sub safety committee has agreed to include a
provision in the Regulations regarding the dischargeof radioactive waste to the environment to ensure
safe discharge within the stipulated clearance level.
The proposed provision under the Regulations
requires that the licensee obtains prior approval
from the Board before discharging their waste. The
licensee has the responsibility to make sure the limit
for every discharge activity does not exceed thelimits as in Schedule II of the Regulations.
One issue which arises in this provision is the
specific period detremined by the Board in allowing
the licensee to discharge/release waste to theenvironment. However, this is not stated in theRegulations. As such the Board needs to clarify
this period of time in the other document such as
Edaran Maklumat Teknik (administrative documentfor operation) as a guide to AELB’s inspector to
grant an approval to the licensee regarding to theperiod for discharge/release of waste and as areference during the inspection.
4. Regulation 15… on Accepting Gifts
Another issue which has been discussed isrelated to accepting of spent sealed sources orwaste as gifts. Generally, the policy allows “reusing” spent sealed sources or waste which nolonger needed by one licensee to another licensee
who may require this. However, the proposed
Regulations requires the donor licensee to subject
into more works than if he just decides to dispose it
instead.
In the case where the waste is an unsealed
source ( e.g. one hospital wishes to donate
Iodine-131 to another hospital), it is not under any
provision of the proposed Regulations that thelicensee has to comply with it but the licensee needs
comply with the Transport Regulations.
5. Limitation of Discharge Volume
Under the proposed regulations, the volume ofeffluent to be discharged at any one time is limited

Nik Mohd. Faiz Khairuddin
Nuclear Science Officer
Atomic Energy Licensing
Board (AELB)
Ministry of Science,
Technology & Innovation(MOSTI)

Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304)
is the main act for the control of atomic energy
in Malaysia. There are 6 Sections under Part
VI (Disposal of Radioactive Waste) of the Act,
which dictate the need for any person to obtain
authorization to accumulate, store, transportand dispose of radioactive waste, apart from his
responsible to rectify any unsafe situation.
Elsewhere in the Act, under section 68,
the Minister is empowered to establish any
regulations that are deemed to be necessary toensure safe management of radioactive materials(including waste). With the provision, the Ministerhas proposed a new Regulations pertaining tomanagement of radioactive waste be established.
An IAEA expert has been invited to assist anddiscuss a draft of such regulations a few years ago.
According to the practiced mechanism for drafting
regulations is that this draft will be elaborated acommittee known as the Sub Safety Committee on
Radiation Protection (RWM) Regulations followed by
the Safety Committee before submitting to Attorney
General Chamber and finally to the Minister for his
perusal. The Minister will then table to the Cabinet
for approval prior to be gazetted.
At present, the Sub Safety Committee hascompleted reviewing the draft, where some of
the issues have been raised which need further
consideration by the subsequence Committee asfollows;
1. Radioactive Waste Management Officer (RWMO)
The Act requires that the licensee (operator)
who foresee the application of radioactive materials
that could lead to the generation of radioactive
waste, appoints a person as the Radioactive Waste
Management Officer whose responsibility in general,
to ensure safe management of radioactive waste.
According to these proposed Radiation Protection(Radioactive Waste Management) Regulations,
AELB will issue a guidelines on the appointment
of RWMO and it can be the same person as the
Radiation Protection Officer who has been appointed
once a company applies for a license to deal withionizing radiation. The issue raised was the timingof the appointments of RWMO. It was proposed10

one cubic meter (M 3) in any calendar year. The
authority feels that the volume discharged should
not be very large as to prevent from uncontrolled
situation. However, the problem arise where some
operators generate large volume of effluent and it
is not practicable to apply this regulations, although
in another regulation, the discharge more than thislimit is allowed provided they obtain approval fromthe authority.
6. Reporting Emergency Situation
Provisions in other regulations regarding
emergency situation (such as theft of spent sealed
sources) state that the licensee should inform theauthority within 24 hours. In the pursuing discussion,
it was felt that the “grace” period given to initiate
the notification may escalate to dangerous situationsuch as in the act of sabotage. Therefore, it is more
appropriate that the licensee should notify or reportany emergency “upon discovery” as this will permit
immediate action to be taken.

based on analysis of FEPs. Mathematical models
for near field, geosphere and biosphere are being
developed and their appropriateness demonstrated
in line with ISAM guidelines. Furthermore, aformalized quality assurance (QA) procedure is
now being developed and implemented for datacollection (Parameter Input Form or Data CollectionForm) and document review.
On the other hand, other decisions will be comingfrom non-technical stakeholders. Communicating
safety requires more extensive effort from boththe implementing organization and the regulatory
body. International experience had shown how
communication and transparency regarding project
development greatly contribute to project approvaland its eventual implementation. Recognizing this,the Interagency Committee that pursues this project,
in collaboration with recognized local scientificcommunicators, embarks on a public information
campaign to increase awareness and public
acceptance involving the long term management ofradioactive wastes. Of particular concerns are thecommunities located near the proposed repositorysite. The municipality of the proposed site has agross municipal population density of 68 persons
per square kilometer as of the year 2000. The target
audience for the public consultation process involves
representatives from the academe (professionals
and students alike), government officials andemployees, and other community and public interest
group. Initially, a seminar involving teachers andstudents was conducted to promote awareness andacceptance of the project. It may be noteworthy
that the municipality has a literary rate of about
88%. Around 200 participants attended the seminarand participated actively during the open forum.
Surveys were also conducted to gain an overview ofthe level of knowledge in as far as nuclear energy in
general and the management of radioactive waste
in particular are concerned. Initial results gathered
showed that the participants don’t have yet a clear

Confidence Building and Public
Acceptance Strategy for the
Proposed LLW Repository
Project in the Philippines
Maria Visitacion B. Palattao
Senior Science ResearchSpecialist Nuclear
Regulations, Licensing and
Safeguards Division
Philippine Nuclear ResearchInstitute

The Philippines has been pursuing a seriesof tasks designed to the development of a nearsurface disposal facility for radioactive wastes in thePhilippines. As the program moves forward into a
more focused siting activities, the task of achieving
sufficient confidence in long term safety becomeseven much more important. Based on the evaluationof confidence, decision must be made whether
safety assessment has been sufficiently successful
in terms of demonstration of safety to justify thecompilation and presentation of the safety case.
Decision on the safety case must give adequate
confidence to support the decision at hand andthat efficient strategy should exist to deal at futurestages which have the potential to compromisesafety (OECD 1999). Therefore, the IAEA's ISAM
methodology is being implemented to provide
transparency at the methodological level. As aconsequence, scenarios are developed and justified,Public Information Campaign for
Prospective Stakeholders
11understanding of the subject. However, this did not
deter their interest for further consultation and theirconcern about radioactive waste. This exercise
clearly indicate that there is a need for a better
public information campaign about nuclear scienceand technology in general and, through wider
consultation, involve them more in the decisionmaking process concerning the management ofradioactive wastes in particular.

New equipment forcompressing RW
in ITREE+ Our proposal for Technical Co-operation Projecton upgrading laboratory of RWM in ITREE wasapproved in 2007. The staffs of ITREE are ready to
perform this project.

The recent activities related to
RWM in Vietnam
Cao Dinh Thanh
Deputy Director
Department for Planning and
R&D Management
Vietnam Atomic Energy
Commission(VAEC)

New equipment forsegregation of RW
at ITRREAt present, the final version of draft of an Atomic
Energy Law is being reviewed and expected tobe submitted to the National Assembly in theend of 2007. In this law, the clearance systemand decommissioning of the nuclear facility are
introduced. The ordinance under this law will adopt
the values provided by IAEA safety guides. Up
to now Vietnam standard TCVN 6870:2001 on
Exemption of Radiation Sources and Practices
defines exemption values for the radionuclides which
are based on the IAEA Basic Safety Standards
115. Introduction of clearance for the waste from
NORM, research and medical facilities is now underdiscussion.
In Vietnam there are two national centers, one
belongs to Institute for Technology of Radioactive
and Rare Elements (ITREE) responsible formanagement of radioactive waste in the northern
region, the another belongs to Dalat Nuclear
Research Institute and responsible for managementof radioactive waste in the southern region. To
strengthen the technical infrastructure of radioactive
waste management in Vietnam, these centers havebeen upgrading recently.

In Nuclear Research Institute (located in Dalat
province)+ Replacing the fuels of high enriched uranium (HEU)
by fuels of low enriched uranium (LEU) have been
done successfully thank to the close cooperation
with US and Russian scientists+ Although we can prolong the activities of Research
Reactor until 2020, now we start to study on
decommissioning of this Research Reactor in the
future.
In addition to that, due to understanding therisks of storage of the disused radiation sourcesin many different facilities, VARANSAC submitted
the plan to build the national facility for storage ofthe disused radioactive sources. In 2007, Ministryof Environment and Resources is going to givethe fund to VAEC to build this facility. The firststep of this plan is the selection of the suitable site
for building this facility. When the construction ofthis national facility have finished, all the disused
radiation sources including the orphan sources will
be stored in this location to ensure the radiation
safety and security absolutely for public.

In Institute for Technology of Radioactive andRare Elements (ITREE)

Nuclear Safety Research Association
5-18-7 Shinbashi Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0004 Japan
Tel: ＋ 81-3-5470-1983 Fax: ＋ 81-3-5470-1991
FNCAWebsite: http://www.fnca.mext.go.jp/english/+ The new equipment for treatments of radioactive
waste such as: compact compressor, evaporator,
ion exchange column have been provided.
+ The treatments of some kinds of radioactive
contaminated materials have been conducting in
new facility of radwaste treatment.

This Newsletter is issued by Nuclear Safety Research
Association(NSRA) under the contract with the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology(MEXT)
12