Entities producing nuclear waste will have to bear the financial burden for the management thereof, a draft radioactive waste-management policy proposed on Wednesday.
The document, released in Pretoria by Deputy Minerals and Energy Minister Susan Shabangu, also states that waste-management activities should be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
A foreword to the document by Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka states that secrecy was commonly associated with nuclear activities in the past.
”As a result, a waste policy could not be developed because this would have entailed an indication of the scale of activities being undertaken.”
The bulk of the country’s radioactive waste was generated during a period characterised by a need to ensure self-sufficiency at any cost, she said.
The minister said the focus should shift from considering only the disposal or reprocessing of waste, to safe management.
The draft policy is to be discussed with all stakeholders before the government decides on the most suitable management option, she added.
The document proposes that a conservative approach be adopted where uncertainty existed about the safety of an activity. In principle, it says, South Africa would not import or export radioactive waste.
The document recommends the creation of a national executive committee on radioactive waste management to oversee the execution of the policy.
It would coordinate national radioactive waste management, monitor site- or industry-specific waste-management plans, and coordinate research and development on the topic.
The policy also proposes the creation of a radioactive waste-management agency to operate existing and future waste disposal facilities and maintain a national radioactive waste database.
It says the government should set up a radioactive waste management fund within two years of the policy’s approval.
Contributions to the fund would come from the generators of nuclear waste.
The policy directs the government to probe the best long-term option for the management of spent fuel. Options included the creation of an above-ground facility, recycling and deep geological disposal. — Sapa