FORUM ONSTAKEHOLDERCONFIDENCE

NE A

Added value in nuclear waste management
facilities and processes
The NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) uses the term “added value” to describe thecontribution radioactive waste management facilities can make to the communities and areas inwhich they are located beyond the safe and secure management or disposal of radioactive waste.
From the perspective of stakeholder confidence, the concept of added value is important as it isassociated with helping to build stronger and more durable relationships between the community andthe facility or operator. This, in turn, supports long-term relationship building with the implementerand project sustainability. Some waste management programmes identify added value as a rightfor the community to receive, and a responsibility for the implementer to deliver, given the national
importance of the project. Added value is achieved when the facility and/or ancillary programme
activities are designed, planned, implemented and/or operated in a manner that contributes to thesocial and economic well-being of the host community and area.

Added value can contribute to long-term project sustainability
Radioactive waste management facilities are complex
long-term projects that require the continued supportof the community and the willingness and acceptanceof the community to continue to host the facility overgenerations. Successful implementation of such projects,
at a minimum, requires safety issues to be addressedto the satisfaction of both regulators and communities.
Beyond safety, providing added value to the community
can contribute to the long-term sustainability of theproject, including ensuring the necessary continued
relationship between the community and the facility.
Radioactive waste management facilities have thepotential to provide benefits to a community beyond
their core function. These can range from tangible
benefits, such as local jobs and economic development,
to less tangible benefits such as fostering community
culture or spirit. Including added value in the planningof the radioactive waste management facility can help
the plant better fit in the community and surroundings
by identifying additional features for the facility, orcommunity development opportunities the facility may
support as part of project implementation. Adopting
these features and/or carrying forward with community© OECD 2022

development oppor tunities ensures a long-termsustainable relationship with the host community overthe long timescales required.

Community group visit to the Bátaapáti low- and intermediatelevel radioactive waste repository (PURAM, Hungary).

Added value recognises the role hostcommunities play in achieving a nationalobjective
In the past, discussion of value or benefits associatedwith radioactive waste management projects hadlargely focussed on hosting fees and socio-economic
development packages (i.e. guaranteeing employment
or infrastructure) intended to compensate for realand perceived impacts. The concept of added value
advances thinking and understanding beyond thistransactional and monetary approach to focus insteadon long-term relationship building, the cultural andamenity value of facilities, and other intangible aspects
in both the short and long term.
As conversations continue about added value andits role in the implementation of radioactive waste
management projects, some waste management
programmes have strongly stated that added value isboth a right for the host community to receive, and aresponsibility for the implementer to deliver, given thenational importance and benefit of these projects.

Added value opportunities can best beidentified through stakeholder
engagement
Added value opportunities are best identified throughmeaningful dialogue with the community. A meaningful
dialogue involves a wide range of stakeholders from the
beginning of the process (early involvement); a clear
explanation of the elements on which the dialogue isfocused (clarity); and allowing for the influence andinput of local communities (empowerment).
Engaging stakeholders to understand their views andconcerns about the facility, and how the facility might
best fit in with the community, can provide insighton potential added value opportunities and theirimportance to ensuring comfort with and ongoingsupport for the project. What constitutes added value
for a radioactive waste management facility is specificto the community and site. From the perspective ofcommunity members, there may be intangible elementsof a facility that have a symbolic value. These elements
can only be identified through dialogue. Projects can bedesigned to improve well-being, consolidate knowledge,

fulfill locally identified values, further define community
identity and image, and build social relationships.
The process of engaging stakeholders in a discussion
on added value can provide its own value. This is
the case when the topic of added value provides aplatform for constructive community discussion andshared decision-making with the implementer, andmore generally helps to build collaborative communityde c ision - mak ing pro c e s s e s and r ela tionship s .
Continuing this discussion over time ensures theproject remains aligned with community expectations,and supports the constructive relationship between thefacility and the community.

Added value through design features
Beyond ensuring safe management of the radioactive
waste, design elements in the radioactive waste
management facility can also include functional,
cultural and physical design features meaningful tothe community. This includes advancing the qualityof life in the community through features such as:
distinctiveness, aesthetic quality, convenience andmeaningfulness; providing opportunities for residents
and visitors to meet, learn, relax and enjoy; and fosteringcommunity development in areas like education, image
definition or problem-solving capacity. Design elements
can and should be adapted to the national context.

Added value through planning,
implementing and operating the facility
Including added value features may encourage aprocess of participative decision-making in the planningand implementation of the project, which may also help
community capacity building. The process of defining
the desired features of the facility can itself bring added
value to the community by developing social capitalsuch as skills, expertise and knowledge. Once added
value features have been identified through dialogue,
experience suggests that during operations, a trusted
community committee might be established aimed at
fostering communication and information exchange
between the facility and the public, based on corevalues such as honesty, openness, and transparency.

Tabloo visitor and meeting centre, Dessel, Belgium (ONDRAF/NIRAS).

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Added value can aid preservation ofmeaning and memory across generations
Added value can also help preserve the meaning andmemory of the facility through building a relationshipwith the facility that will be carried on throughgenerations. By adding a symbolic dimension to thefacility through added features which help fit the projectin the social and cultural life of the community, thememory and information about the facility will become
part of the story of the area and retained and passedalong in the same way as monuments, buildings or
natural features of the territory.

Approaches to added value
The concept of added value has been incorporated in
the implementation of various country programmes
in a variety of ways. This includes the possibility ofusing the repository as a meeting point to arrange
exhibitions and other cultural initiatives. It also includes
the development of activities aimed at deepening andsharing the knowledge of the local area from a culturalor environmental perspective.
Many initiatives include identifying and providing
economic benefits to support long-term sustainable
development of the region that hosts the facility.
Benefits, and their importance, are identified throughan open dialogue with local communities and with awide range of stakeholders. Added value areas include:• reinforced environmental protection in the area,
as a consequence of the strict regulatory licensing
conditions (e.g. institutional surveillance, declarationof environmentally protected area, reinforced
measures against fire or flooding);• direct and indirect employment opportunities;• the development of infrastructure that will make thearea more attractive;

Students examine core samples on a Carrier Orientation Day ina secondary school in Paks (PURAM, Hungary).

• the opportunity to carry out research, development
and training activities which may make the site acenter of expertise at the national level, and a sourceof trusted information for local communities.
Examples of added value approaches in three countries
are briefly outlined below.

Evolution of the concept
The added value approach continues to evolve as
national radioactive waste management programmes
advance in concert with host communities. Experiencesuggests that creating added value in radioactive waste
management programmes helps align the projects
with the communities in which they are implemented,
embeds them in the social fabric of host communities,
and helps build the relationships and sustained support
needed for these long-term endeavours. The shape andform of the added value approach needs to be contextspecific, reflecting valued aspects that may differ
between countries and individual projects.

Approaches to added value in three countries
SwedenThe Added Value Programme (AVP) in Sweden is an important component of the preparations for implementationof the spent fuel repository and associated facilities. The two host municipalities for the repository and theencapsulation plant, Östhammar and Oskarshamn, initially identified and defined the added value concept
which became the basis for the discussions with the project implementer, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste
Management Company (SKB). The communities signed an agreement with SKB in 2009 comprising a rangeof possible benefits of mutual interest, in addition to the direct establishment of the planned facilities. TheAdded Value Programme is designed to enhance the overall conditions of the communities as a place to live,
run businesses, and promote new establishments and companies. A Steering Committee, which has members
from the power companies, SKB and the municipalities, decides how to allocate programme resources.
The programme acts as a framework and platform for constructive dialogue between the implementer andcommunities on a range of activities and projects. The focus of these activities includes:• Education, with special efforts in the energy sector and on creativity and entrepreneurship.
• Innovation, business development, broadening of the labour market.
• Development of non-commercial organisations.
• Road, rail, harbour and technical infrastructure development.
• SKB canister manufacturing plant and further development of its laboratories and offices.
• Marketing programmes for the municipalities such as “Attractive Oskarshamn”.

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Approaches to added value in three countries (cont’d)
Belgium
In Belgium, added value is a foundational component of the waste management programme for short-lived lowand intermediate level waste. The project implementer, the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched
Fissile Materials (ONDRAF/NIRAS), was tasked in 1998 with developing the waste management programme
while maintaining dialogue with citizens. Local partnerships or committees were formed in the municipalities of
Dessel and Mol and, in discussion with these groups, the implementation for the waste management projectcame to encompass a range of side-projects designed to provide added value to each community. All aspectsof the waste disposal programme, including these side-projects, are controlled by a joint steering group
comprising members from ONDRAF/NIRAS and the local partnerships STORA and MONA, with the mayors
having an advisory role.
In addition, all projects are discussed with working groups and further elaborated in co-design with the localpartnerships. The range of side-projects discussed include:• A visitor and community centre with a dual function including: an information centre where visitors canlearn about radioactive waste; and a local meeting centre with spaces such as a theatre, an exhibition
space, an event meadow, and a multi-purpose area as well as recreational elements.
• A local fund designed to support local projects that create sustainable opportunities for the local

communities and improve the quality of life in the short, medium and long term.
• Resources to support community participation.
• A dialogue on spatial planning and mobility.
• A plan for employment and retention of nuclear know-how, and support for the environment.
• A long-term study to monitor health locally and take initiatives to improve it.

Hungary
In Hungary, creating added value has been a focus for the Public Limited Company for Radioactive Waste
Management (PURAM) in working closely with communities which have hosted radioactive waste disposal
or research facilities for more than 20 years. This has involved collaboratively organising activities withcommunities to support learning among all ages, in particular young people, and supporting activities thatenhance community sustainability in areas important to the community. Examples include:• Holding free annual information events and open days for everyone to visit. Beyond facilitating learning andpresenting updates on radioactive waste management activities, events also highlight local merchants
and performers with displays of their goods and artistic performances as part of community building.
• Organising competitions and events for children to bring the younger generation closer to science

while passing on knowledge. Lectures in physics classes are organised to build the capacity of future
generations both with respect to science and the moral standards guiding radioactive waste management
at PURAM. School trips are organised to encourage learning, and summer internships are provided foryoung people, as well as support for university scholarships.
• Funding for local communication activities (newspapers, information events) and investments to improve

the standard of living (purchase and maintenance of municipal housing, road renovation and road
construction, purchase of transport vehicles).
• Stimulating economic activity in the community by creating work and attracting visitors as part of PURAM

activities, with the addition of jobs and growth in population. This in turn helps achieve community
objectives such as retaining youth and sustaining and growing valued services and population.

For more information, visit the FSC web page: www.oecd-nea.org/fsc
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