Safety case

The fundamental safety objective is to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. It´s imperative to have a strategy for how to handle, transport, and dispose of the nuclear waste, in accordance with national regulations and international recommendations. As the waste is classified based on level of radioactivity, among several other factors, different measures are needed for different waste types.

Nuclear waste management include all phases of waste handling and must be assessed and evaluated to guarantee safety and minimise the risk of contamination or release of nuclear materials.

SKB International has five decades of experience of operating nuclear back-end facilities and has invested greatly in planning safe facilities to close the nuclear cycle. This includes operation of several types of nuclear facilities and a well-developed safety assessment methodology for a geological repository.

Established methodology

Through its vast experience, SKB has been the forerunner and main contributor to develop an internationally recognised methodology to execute a safety assessment. Safety Assessment, an integral part of the safety case, is driven by systematic assessment of radiation hazards and is an important component of the safety case.

The safety case and supporting safety assessment provide the basis for demonstrating safety and licensing. The methodology is adopted into the IAEA Safety Standards. This puts SKB International in a unique position to support other nations’ nuclear waste programme by developing, reviewing and optimising their efforts and projects.

Safety is essential

We strongly recommend that a waste programme initiates the development of safety case at an early stage and develops and enhances the safety assessment in an iterative process. Such a strategy, whether it is operational safety or safety after closure, enables the waste management implementer to identify areas of optimisation. Also, this makes it possible to avoid cost driving and time-consuming issues that can occur as the scientific fields are coupled and systems are integrated into the final design.

SKB International´s experiences in multiple scientific fields, integrated systems as well as knowledge, know-how and experience of mistakes (also a valuable experience) are of great value to developing waste programmes.

SKB International brings a wealth of experience across scientific domains and integrated systems, coupled with invaluable lessons learned from past endeavours. Our support services encompass training, advisory assistance, and thorough reviews, provide new initiatives with the essential knowledge and guidance for success.

Our offering:

• Support establishing and upholding safety analysis reports, SAR
• Safety assessment methodology for a geological repository, applicable to all geological formations
• Developing, reviewing and optimising your efforts and projects with regards to the safety assessment of all essential steps in the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle