2013:13 Review of Dismantling Costs - Nuclear Installations

In this study three reviews of cost assessments for some smaller nuclear installations are presented for which nuclear waste liabilities shall be accrued according to the Financing Act (Lag (2006:647) om finasiella åtgärder för hanteringen av restprodukter från kärnteknisk verksamhet).

It is expected that these reviews will contribute to develop premium quality assessments of future dismantling costs for nuclear installations (excl. nuclear power plants). The results stress how a systematic approach to a deterministic assessment needs to be supplemented by appropriate methodological steps to decide ranges for contingency.

The Swedish Law stipulates that future expenses for dismantling of miscellaneous nuclear installations shall be financed by funds generated under the Financing Act.

The task to inject sufficient capital into the Swedish Nuclear Waste Funds is fundamental for the trustworthiness as well as sustainability of the Swedish model for financing of radioactive waste for all nuclear installations.

The aim of this study is to review three cost assessment of a number of nuclear installations at the Studsvik Site from a methodological perspective. Moreover, ways to enhance the quality on cost assessments made at an early stage of decommissioning projects are discussed in more detail.

The present study discloses that accurate cost assessment for the actual nuclear installations needs to be recalculated in order to enhance the credibility and accuracy of the cost estimates. The report is as such a contribution to active learning processes in the field of how more systematic use of methodology may enhance the over-all robustness and precision of future cost assessments.