The NEA Expert Group on Costing for Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (EGCDL) held its fourth plenary meeting on 25-26 June 2024 in France to discuss its activities for the next year.
The EGCDL recently completed the Handbook for Nuclear Decommissioning Cost Estimation which consolidates information contained in the International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC) of Nuclear Installations and in Addressing Uncertainties in Cost Estimates for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities.
Established in June 2020, the EGCDL made significant progress in analysing the gaps it has identified from applying the ISDC and Uncertainties Guidance towards complex and legacy sites. The report which captures its findings will be available soon.
The EGCDL is also developing a cost benchmarking guidance and held a topical session during the June plenary meeting to inform its report. The topical session addresses estimated cost versus actual cost for decommissioning activities. The fleetwide effect of decommissioning cost optimisation as well as oil and gas’s experience in carrying out cost benchmarking along with associated good practices and lessons learnt were discussed.
To widely communicate its activities and available resources with a larger audience, the EGCDL typically presents at international conferences and workshops. Most recently, the EGCDL presented at the French Nuclear Society (SFEN) International Conference on Decommissioning Challenges: Role and importance of innovations (Avignon, France, 27-29 May 2024). The importance of international co-operation to achieve cost benchmarking was among the topics discussed during this presentation.
The EGCDL will host its fifth plenary meeting in June 2025.