Page 143 - Beyond Decommissioning

124 Beyond Decommissioning

desirability/esthetics;
l
high standard of living;
l
accessibility (e.g., airstrips, roads, rail, river or sea access with offloading facilities, harbor
l
with piers/docks accessible to large barges);
parking lots;
l
l emergency and buffer areas (these can provide spaces for future expansion); and
l safety (e.g., flat vs steep, rugged surfaces).
Available resources and infrastructure include among others:
l offices;
l running services (e.g., catering, public transport, schools, recreational areas);
l a local skilled workforce;
l prestigious old/historic buildings (Sections 2.2 and 2.3) or large, massive structures;
l non-contaminated (or successfully decontaminated with no functional damage) buildings:
machine shops, warehouses, workshops, and general production facilities, especially with
large machinery, consumables stocks;
l good electricity grid supply, potable and service water, gas lines, sewerage;
l large areas suitable for a large investment or for a smaller investment while retaining the
potential for enlargement;
l property (e.g., land) value; and
l function of the property (both for the current and/or future use).
Reusing a nuclear site is often a convenient means to profit from the information and
legal permits or licenses already available from past operations. Typically, data on
demography, geology, surface- and ground-water, seismic and flood events, traffic
routes, etc. is usually available as part of the nuclear licensing. This information does
not have to be produced from scratch as for a new industrial site. Likewise, site permits
(e.g., electrical lines, non-radioactive and radioactive effluent limits, etc.) that are
based on the nuclear site characteristics would be already in place and should not
be applied for anew from the beginning for a new plant. This is especially beneficial
where new nuclear uses are being considered and licenses for nuclear operations are
already available. It should be noted however that some site parameters (e.g., demog-
raphy, climate) may have changed since the initial license was granted and require a
new assessment; likewise, new data and assessment methods (e.g., on seismicity) may
have become handy over the years and should be used to consider the site viability for
new uses.
The extent of physical characterization data at nuclear sites (usually, comprehen-
sive and reliable) is of great importance to new developers. The preceding work done
to characterize a nuclear site can be attractive in reducing the investment of a devel-
oper while evaluating the risk associated with new industrial uses. To this end, details
of site surveys, and any related analyses and assessments should be kept. However,
uncertainties about residual contamination levels would be a major deterrent for
investment; therefore, documented evidence supporting statements that site contam-
ination is negligible, identified, and compatible with proposed reuse should also
be kept.
The transition between those responsible for decommissioning/remediation and
those responsible for redevelopment is important in terms of knowledge. It is very