Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) submitted its licence application to the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency (DSA), which will now assess NND’s ability to operate the facility in line with national regulations and international requirements, before making a recommendation to the Ministry of Health and Care Services. The final decision on the licence will be made by the government. As part of the licensing process, DSA will submit the application for public consultation. The consultation will ensure that affected parties, residents and other stakeholders have the opportunity to provide input into the directorate’s assessments.
“Our experience with the transfer of the Halden facility has been helpful when we are now also applying for a licence to take over the facilities at Kjeller,” said NND Director Pål Mikkelsen. “The fact that we have now submitted the licence application is an important milestone in the work to decommission the facilities, and I am happy and proud of the work that those involved in the licence work have accomplished.”
The Institute of Energy Technology was established in 1948 with the purpose of conducting research on nuclear energy and developing Norway’s expertise in the field. Norway was the sixth country in the world to build a nuclear reactor. The institute built and operated four research reactors in the period 1951–2019: JEEP I at Kjeller (1951–1967), the NORA critical assembly at Kjeller (1961–1968), the Halden materials testing reactor (1959–2018), and JEEP II at Kjeller (1966–2019). The reactors at Kjeller have been central to research in areas such as neutron-based measurement methods, materials technology and isotopes for use in radioactive medicines.
The facilities at Kjeller include, among other things, the Radavvalsanlegget, which functions as a national reception facility for radioactive waste, a storage facility for used nuclear fuel and several facilities related to former reactor operations at Kjeller.
Cleanup work at Halden and Kjeller is under way. The cleanup will take several decades, and the costs are currently estimated at between NOK33 billion and NOK57 billion (USD3.6-6.2 billion), depending on the solutions chosen.
To ensure clear responsibilities and state control, the government has planned to transfer responsibilities, tasks and facilities from the Institute of Energy Technology to NND as quickly as possible. Established as an agency under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries in February 2018, NND is responsible for decommissioning the research reactors and other related nuclear infrastructure, as well as the safe handling, storage and disposal of radioactive waste.
The nuclear facilities in Halden were transferred from the Institute of Energy Technology to NND on 1 April last year.
In May this year, the Norwegian government said it would accelerate the process of transferring the nuclear facilities at Kjeller from the Institute of Energy Technology to NND, saying the transfer could take place as soon as 1 January 2027.
