Key Convention on Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste to Enter Into Force
At a ceremony at IAEA Headquarters today, Ireland deposited its instrument of ratification to an important convention on the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, thereby ensuring its entry into force. The Convention will be the first international instrument to address the safety of management and storage of radioactive wastes and spent fuel in countries with and without nuclear programmes.
"This Convention significantly broadens the IAEA's nuclear safety regime and promotes international standards to manage an issue that is of great concern to the public", said IAEA Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei.
The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management was adopted at a Diplomatic Conference 5 September 1997 and opened for signature at the IAEA General Conference 29 September the same year. The Convention applies to the safety of spent fuel management, defined as "all activities that are related to the handling or storage of spent fuel, excluding off-site transportation". It also applies to the safety of radioactive management, defined as "all activities, including decommissioning activities, that are related to the handling, pretreatment, treatment, conditioning, storage, or disposal of radioactive waste".
Beyond this, the Convention covers the safety of management of spent fuel or radioactive waste resulting from military or defense programmes if and when such materials are transferred permanently to and managed within exclusively civilian programmes, or when declared as spent fuel or radioactive waste for the purpose of the Convention.
"One of the main objectives of this Convention", Mr. ElBaradei said, "is to ensure that during all stages of spent fuel and radioactive waste management there are effective defenses against potential hazards so that individuals, society and the environment are protected from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, now and in the future".
The Convention establishes a binding reporting system for Contracting Parties to address all measures taken by each State to implement the obligations under the Convention. This would include reporting on national inventories of radioactive wastes and spent fuel.
The Joint Convention enters into force ninety days after 25 States, including fifteen that have an operational nuclear power plant, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, or approval with the IAEA. Accordingly, the Convention will enter into force on 18 June 2001.The 25 States Parties to the Convention are: Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom.