Current Situation and Development Trend of Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract The complete life of a nuclear power plant consists of three stages: construction, operation and decommissioning. In the last stage of the operation life of nuclear power plants, they have to face the problem of decommissioning. The safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants is the guarantee for the sustainable development of nuclear power. After the termination of the operation of nuclear power plants, in order to ensure the safety of the public and the environment, the plant site should be purified, demolished and cleaned to reach the restricted utilization level or unrestricted opening. This paper studies the operation and decommissioning status of nuclear power plants from both international and domestic levels, and analyzes the real time cycle and development trend of decommissioning projects. The research shows that in the international nuclear power plant decommissioning market, the nuclear power pioneer countries have successively established national laboratories or research centers to carry out research on the decommissioning technology of nuclear power plants, developed a large number of advanced technologies and tooling equipment, and formed their own technical characteristics and technical advantages; the nuclear power plant decommissioning is increasingly researched in China, but the decommissioning practice has not been started yet in this country. The industry and relevant parties should carry out systematic construction for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants from the aspects of capital sources, regulations, standards, technical reserves, organizational structure and talent reserves.