Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning

Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) has begun the decommissioning of Norway's nuclear research facilities to clean up the nuclear activities.

Get to know NND
Get to know NND
What happens with radiactive waste?
What happens with radiactive waste?

Norwegian nuclear plants

The Department of Energy Engineering (IFE) is currently licensed to own and operate the nuclear research reactors in Norway, located at Kjeller, in Himdalen and in Halden.

Halden Nuclear Reactor

The Halden reactor is an experimental reactor in Halden which was in operation from 1958 to 2018. The Norwegian nuclear program was terminated in 2018.

Nuclear reactor Kjeller

The Kjeller Nuclear Reactor, also known as the Kjellerreaktoren, was a research reactor that operated in Kjeller from 1961 to 2002.

Warehouse and Landfill KLDRA

Warehouse and Landfill KLDRA (Kjeller Small Differential Reactor) was a smaller research reactor that was also located in Kjeller.

News

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10.4.2025

Full kontroll i rommet

Da Harald Larsen (59) kom inn i kontrollrommet i Halden-reaktoren første gangen, lå røyken tykk over rommet. 40 år senere har røyken forsvunnet, men Harald er fortsatt på vakt.
9.4.2025

Norske kommuner og NND besøker SKB og Oskarshamn

I Sverige har man forsket på sikre deponier foratomavfall i 30 år. Nå avsluttes programmet. Hvorfor? Man har funnet frem til engod og sikker løsning.
28.3.2025

Regjeringen gir NND konsesjon for å eie og drive Haldenreaktoren

Fra og med tirsdag 1. april 2025 klokken 1200 vil Norge for første gang ha to konsesjonshavere for atomanlegg.
4.3.2025

DSA gir NND godkjenning til drift av atomanlegget i Halden

Gode nyheter fra DSA: Tilsynsmyndigheten gir NND godkjenning til drift av atomanlegget i Halden.
18.2.2025

Slik hjelper Oda NND

Å dekommisjonere de norske historiske atomanleggene vil ta mange år.
21.1.2025

Materialslitasje i brenselslager ved atomanlegget i Halden

NND viser til pressemelding fra Institutt for energiteknikk (IFE) om økt risiko ved atomanlegget i Halden.
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About Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning

Learn more about NDD, our mission and gain other insights from our business.

Milestones and Timeline

See outlined timeline on the cleanup which is calculated to take around 20-25 years.

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Publications

View all relevant publications, including annual reports, strategies and mines.

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Figures & Facts

Er du på utikikk etter harde fakta og tall? Her finner du tall og fakta.

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NND in civil society

For NND, knowledge building is important. Therefore, the NND has national civil society groups and municipal representatives.

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NND's mission

NND has two main tasks: we will decommission the Norwegian nuclear facilities and we will handle the radioactive waste.

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Søve Mines

NND is responsible for the clean-up after the mining operations at Søve mines in Telemark.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Two names that are commonly used are nuclear waste and radioactive waste. What's the difference?

Nuclear waste is a type of radioactive waste. Nuclear material is defined as “plutonium, enriched uranium, natural uranium, depleted uranium, the isotope uranium-233, thorium, and any material containing one or more of these substances”. Spent reactor fuel (fuel that has been irradiated in a reactor and has been taken out of the reactor) makes up the bulk of nuclear waste. Unirradiated material is also included if it is defined as waste. Radioactive waste is waste containing radioactive substances that exceed the limits in the “Regulations on the Application of the Pollution Act to Radioactive Pollution and Radioactive Waste”. The waste may contain man-made radioactive sources or naturally occurring radioactive substances (NORM). Waste containing less radioactive substances than the limits in the regulation is not classified as radioactive waste. Thus, there is no requirement that the handling must comply with the requirements for radioactive waste. An exception is acid-forming rocks such as alum shale. Examples of radioactive waste can be: waste from hospitals waste from research industrial radiation sources ionic smoke detectors waste from industries that use large amounts of natural raw materials such as the petroleum industry and mining industries

Can't we just send the nuclear waste into space?

Sending nuclear waste into space is technically challenging, environmentally hazardous and in violation of international agreements, therefore the focus is on the safe storage and management of nuclear waste on Earth.

What are the costs of the clean-up after Norwegian nuclear activities and who pays?

The central government has assumed responsibility for cleaning up after the Norwegian nuclear program and pays for the cleanup over the state budget with annual appropriations. In 2020, NOK 576 million will be allocated for the cleanup/operation of nuclear waste/nuclear facilities. The total cost estimate for the cleanup is NOK 21 billion, but there is great uncertainty about what the costs will be. Preliminary estimates are as follows: Decommissioning of the facilities: approx. NOK 7 billion Treatment of spent nuclear fuel: approx. NOK 4 billion Storage of all radioactive waste — approx. NOK 10 billion

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