“This is perhaps the largest application DSA has dealt with,” says Heidar Hüttmann of the Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA).
It is the day after the hearing meeting on NND's concession application to be able to take over the nuclear facilities in Halden. The consultation meeting is an important milestone.
“It was nice that there were so many people present and to connect with people in the local area the application applies to,” says Hege Sofie Haugan of DSA.
In order for NND to be able to decommission the Norwegian historic nuclear facilities, the facilities must first be taken over by NND from the Department of Energy Engineering (IFE). It is the IFE that currently holds the concession to own the research reactor in Halden. Although the nuclear facility has been shut down, the reactor is under the same safety regime as when it was operating. Whoever is to take over must hold a concession to own and operate the facility.
“The purpose of consultation meetings is to obtain statements from interested parties,” explains Hüttmann.
“In addition, the DSA explains its work to process the licence application and to clarify to the general public the different roles of NND as applicant and DSA as authority,” he says.
“It's about transparency,” Hüttmann continues.
NND has previously submitted a concession application to take over all the Norwegian nuclear facilities to be decommissioned. Following an investigation into how a phased acquisition of the facilities could take place, NND has intensified efforts to update the licence application. The first facility to be taken over is the nuclear plant in Halden.
Also DSA is intensively working on the concession application. The authority has put significant resources into processing the multi-thousand-page application.
“There are many different professional groups involved,” says Hüttmann.
To quality-ensure the application, DSA and NND meet to develop and update the application where needed.
“We get in touch when we want to know more or the application lacks information,” explains Hüttmann of the DSA.
“We will constantly want to improve the application base,” he continues.
Meeting regularly creates good working conditions.
“We save time when we can ask questions directly when we meet,” Haugan says.
“We have the same goal: a safe decommissioning of the facilities,” adds Hüttmann.
Efforts to finalise the concession application are nearing an end. There is nevertheless significant work remaining and NND will still have to devote more significant resources to the work on the concession application.
Although a consultation meeting has been conducted in connection with the concession application for the nuclear facilities in Halden, it is still not too late to submit their views. Contact DSA by email dsa@dsa.no and mark the email with reference 24/00390. Deadline for consultation is June 7, 2024.
CONSULTATION MEETING ON A LICENCE APPLICATION FOR A LICENCE
DSA is also processing NND's concession application to take over the nuclear plant in Aurskog-Høland. A hearing meeting for this matter has been held at the Thon Hotel in Lillestrøm on 12 June at 1830. Registration for the consultation meeting can be done here: https://forms.office.com/e/avjwPC8iLD
You can read more about the public hearings on DSA's pages. https://dsa.no/horinger-og-tillatelser
