FUSION DECOMMISSIONING AND REGULATION (UK-STEP PERSPECTIVES)
This paper sets out what needs to be considered when considering a Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP). In the UK a FDP is submitted to the secretary of state for approval as a requirement for a nuclear site licensee to install or operate a nuclear power station. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) reactor is not expected to require a nuclear site licence and therefore a FDP is currently not a legal requirement under Section 45 of the Energy Act 2008, Reference [1]. However, it is expected that in line with the UK energy sector the UKAEA STEP programme will be expected to understand what is required both technically and financially to decommission the STEP reactor and associated facilities, Reference [2].
The UKAEA STEP programme has used the UK Government’s published guidance on what a FDP should contain, with appropriate adaptations for a fusion reactor, currently at concept design stage and expected to be under a different regulatory regime to the fission industry.