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Decommissioning of nuclear facilities

The decommissioning of a nuclear installation, such as a power plant or research reactor, is the final step in its lifecycle.

Nuclear decommissioning is the process to remove regulatory controls from a nuclear installation at the end of its active life. It aims at ensuring the long-term protection of the public and the environment. It involves all activities starting from the shutdown of the facility and the removal of all nuclear material right down to the environmental restoration of the site. The whole process is complex and typically takes 20 to 30 years to complete.

Nuclear decommissioning in the EU

EU countries have the ultimate responsibility for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations, including decommissioning operations, as outlined in the Euratom Directives on nuclear safety and on the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. The directives mandate the highest safety standards for the operation of nuclear installations and for the management of the spent fuel and the radioactive waste they generate.

Many nuclear installations in the EU are being decommissioned and it is an economic opportunity for the EU’s industry. According to a study published in 2019, the decommissioning of nuclear power plants until 2045 would be worth around €60 billion. 

Following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the so-called High Power Channel Type Reactors (RBMK) and other first-generation Soviet-designed nuclear reactors were not considered as safe as existing nuclear reactors in the EU. At the time of their accession to the EU, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania agreed to shut down such power plants

Bulgaria

units 1 to 4 in Kozloduy

Slovakia

units 1 and 2 in Bohunice V1

Lithuania

units 1 and 2 in Ignalina

Financial support

In line with the accession agreements, the EU supports the nuclear decommissioning assistance programmes and provides financial support for the decommissioning of the concerned reactors.

Until 2013, the EU also co-financed projects to mitigate the consequences of shutting down the reactors, for example by replacing lost electricity generation capacity. From 2014 onwards, financing concentrated on the safety challenges of the decommissioning.

The EU supports the decommissioning programmes for 2021-2027, as defined in the Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/100 and the Council Regulation (EU) 2021/101. These rules include a new explicit objective for the programmes to disseminate knowledge on decommissioning to all EU countries, led by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). From 2021 onwards, the focus in the 3 programmes has been the physical dismantling of the installations. 

Reporting 

The progress of the programmes is periodically reported on. The most recent report was published in April 2024. Key Performance Indicators are also published on the Programme Performance Statements webpages.

Implementation 

The Commission manages the programmes by entrusting the implementation tasks to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania, to the Central Project Management Agency in Lithuania, and to the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency in Slovakia.

Group of experts

The Commission set up the Nuclear Backend Financial Aspects expert group (NuBaFA) in April 2021 (Decision C/2021/2109) to help analyse financial aspects of nuclear decommissioning, spent fuel and radioactive waste management, such as cost estimations, financing mechanisms, securing of required funds and their management.

NuBaFA took over from the former Decommissioning Funding Group (DFG), which was introduced by Commission Recommendation 2006/851/Euratom and is composed of representatives appointed by EU countries, with a high level of expertise in the financial aspects of nuclear decommissioning and spent fuel and radioactive waste management.

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