ONE WEEK TO REGISTER: IAEA-DOE-ECA WEBINAR ON MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF SNF IN SWEDEN

This month, Sweden joined a small but growing group of countries leading the charge to find a permanent solution to disposing of spent-nuclear fuel. The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB, or SKB) began construction of the world's second deep geologic repository (DGR) for SNF on January 15; a landmark project that will allow Sweden to begin disposing of waste by the 2030s in a facility that will be fully extended by the 2080s.  

That's on why on January 29, 2025, a webinar hosted jointly by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Nuclear Energy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy, and the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) will provide information on the plans, progress and key factors for managing and disposing SNF in Sweden with stakeholder involvement.
This webinar will be delivered by senior staff of SKB, the organization responsible for radioactive waste and spent fuel management in Sweden, as well as by Mayor Fabian Sjöberg of Osthammar, the elected local official of the host community to the future DGR. It is the second in a series of webinars informing on the Global Progress Towards Sustainable Endpoint Solutions for High-level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel.
The webinar will last 1.5 hours, is open to the public, and provides opportunities for audience engagement and Q&A through a webinar chat.
 Speakers: 

• Anni Fritzell - Manager Research and Post-Closure Safety, SKB, Sweden
• Fredrik De la Gardie - Funding expert, SKB, Sweden
• Anna Porelius - Head of Communication, SKB, Sweden
• Fabian Sjöberg - Mayor of Osthammar, Sweden
• Erik Lindgren - Project Director Spent nuclear fuel repository, SKB, Sweden

Agenda 

• The nuclear waste management program of SKB and key developments;
• Funding the nuclear waste management program and its main cost drivers;
• Social acceptance - How to gain and manage trust;
• The journey to a DGR in Oesthammar – A community perspective (TBC); and
• Construction of SKB’s spent nuclear fuel repository, lessons learnt and success factors ahead.

Moderators: 

• Marla Morales - Acting Director, Office of Consent-Based Siting, US DOE/Office of Nuclear Energy, USA
• Seth Kirshenberg – Executive Director, ECA, USA
• Stefan Mayer – Team Leader, Radioactive Waste Disposal, IAEA

This webinar is the second in a webinar series on Global Progress Towards Sustainable Endpoint Solutions for High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel, co-hosted by The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Department of Nuclear Energy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy, and the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA). The webinar series is designed to showcase  global progress towards providing endpoints for the management of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.

The first webinar, Restarting the Siting Process for HLW and SNF Storage and Disposal, shares experiences from senior program representatives in national programs across Asia (Korea and Japan), Europe (Germany and UK) and North America (USA). A recording of the first webinar can be viewed on the IAEA's website, where you can monitor the whole series for new announcements and recordings. 

ENSURING LONG TERM SUCCESS: ECA TRANSITION PAPER FOR EM

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) must continuously examine its work and evolve. The Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is calling on the next Administration to launch a comprehensive review of all aspects of the EM program. To meet the challenges and better ensure the continued success of the DOE-EM program, the ECA’s Transition paper offers the following recommendations:

• Establishment of disposal paths for every type of radioactive and hazardous waste, including ensuring that both private and public sites are available and utilized.
• The reevaluation of DOE-EM’s use of the end-state contracting model so that more funds are available for actual work.
• Ensuring that regulatory agreements are reasonably achievable and balance short- and long-term needs.
• Improvement of workforce planning to address “brain drain” and long-term needs for skilled talent of all kinds.
• Continuing focus on economic and energy development benefits.
• The maintaining of robust local, state, tribal government, and stakeholder engagement at each site.
• Clarification on DOE policy regarding how the discovery of hazardous and radioactive materials at “completed sites” will be addressed to ensure that cleanup is protective of human health and the environment, and that the local community is not responsible for the DOE’s legacy waste cleanup.
• The reconstituting of a dedicated nuclear waste organization within the DOE to address high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel issues.

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