Long-term waste management issues and BPEO

For some radioactive operations (including decommissioning, production activities and the management of existing accumulations of waste), it is inevitable that wastes will be generated for which no complete management route exists at present. The recently initiated Government consultation in the management of radioactive wastes has as its final objective the specification of national policy in the field. This point is unlikely to be reached for some years, however, indicating that the current uncertainties will continue. This paper discusses how these uncertainties can be taken into account in defining the best practicable environmental option for such operations and how consideration of long-term waste issues can affect what is done in the short term.