Addressing Uncertainties in Cost Estimates for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities
The cost estimation process of decommissioning nuclear facilities has continued to
evolve in recent years, with a general trend towards demonstrating greater levels
of detail in the estimate and more explicit consideration of uncertainties, the latter
of which may have an impact on decommissioning project costs. The 2012 report on the
International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC) of Nuclear Installations,
a joint recommendation by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission, proposes a standardised structure
of cost items for decommissioning projects that can be used either directly for the
production of cost estimates or for mapping of cost items for benchmarking purposes.
The ISDC, however, provides only limited guidance on the treatment of uncertainty
when preparing cost estimates. Addressing Uncertainties in Cost Estimates for Decommissioning
Nuclear Facilities, prepared jointly by the NEA and IAEA, is intended to complement
the ISDC, assisting cost estimators and reviewers in systematically addressing uncertainties
in decommissioning cost estimates. Based on experiences gained in participating countries
and projects, the report describes how uncertainty and risks can be analysed and incorporated
in decommissioning cost estimates, while presenting the outcomes in a transparent
manner.
Published on October 11, 2017