Austria

Existing waste management routes

For very low level waste, low level waste and short-lived intermediate level waste, there is international consensus that this can be safely disposed of in near-surface facilities at a depth of no more than 30 m. The underlying assumption is that deposited radioactive waste will decay to background levels before institutional control is lost (within about 300 years).

Categorisation of radioactive waste

Radioactive waste means radioactive material in gaseous, liquid or solid form for which no further use is foreseen [definition given by the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management]

Management of spent fuel

Spent fuel is the name given to nuclear fuel that has been removed from a nuclear power or research reactor following irradiation. It is a mixture of plutonium, uranium and waste materials and is no longer usable as fuel. It is extremely radioactive and generates a large amount of heat and must be carefully managed. Individual Member States take different approaches to the long-term management of spent fuel, but all involve a period of interim storage at the nuclear power plant or research reactor site following the removal of the fuel from the reactor.

Clone of Nuclear in EU countries

Austria

Nuclear regulatory authority

The legislative and regulatory framework regarding nuclear safety comprises the legal areas of radiation protection, installation safety, safeguards and physical portection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities as well as radioactive waste management. As Austria constitutes a Federal State, a number of federal (Bund), provincial (Länder) and district authorities (Bezirksverwaltungsbehörden) are involved in the regulation of these matters.

Minutes of the ENSREG meeting on 21 April 2008

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Nuclear energy in the EU

There are 108 operable nuclear power reactors in the EU. Some reactors are being decommissioned, others are having their working lives extended, and several new units are planned or under construction. In addition to power reactors, a full range of fuel cycle plants (from enrichment to waste storage and recycling) are in operation in Europe. It is the responsibility of each EU Member State to decide on its preferred choice of energy mix. Currently 13 EU Member States out of 27 use nuclear energy for power generation.

European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group

The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) is an independent expert advisory group created in 2007 following a decision of the European Commission.