Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Petten 2020 Liability Estimate - Cost Estimate for the Decommissioning of the Petten Research Centre Campus
| Auteur | Atkins |
 | - |
| Datum | februari 2021 |
| Classificatie | 1.01.8.53/16 (OLP - HISTORISCH AFVAL (Waste Storage Facility-Pluggenloods)) |
| Opmerking | Online available here |
| Voorkant | 
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Uit de publicatie:
Executive Summary
Based on the detailed work performed for the scope of this cost estimating assignment, the cost estimate of
€118M as detailed in Section 3 represents a ‘True and Fair’ view of the costs which will likely be incurred to
perform all the nuclear decommissioning work identified. This is based on scope to perform the work to
decommission the facilities listed in Section 1 to a state of ‘Green Field’ and the key assumptions noted in this
report.
A fundamental opportunity is being realised in this estimate for decommissioning, insofar as it has been
assumed that 200 litre ‘COVRA’ drums can be used to for ‘Non Pressable’ waste only. This equates to
80% of all radioactive waste. The remaining 20% of the ‘Pressable’ waste will be packaged into 90 litre
drums and is considered to be a cost effective package.
Decommissioning work has been considered on a programme, project and activity basis; that is to say that the
site decommissioning activities will be split into four distinct but integrated programmes of work. This approach
has been utilised in the UK and has been proven to provide organisational synergies and be economically
beneficial. All project costs have been considered on an activity basis.
This liability estimate has also considered the parametric modelling of demolition and asbestos removal activities
based on those which have already been performed at NRG on Buildings 5, 6 & 9.
The development of this liability estimate has also considered a more detailed review of ‘Discrete Risks’, based
on the assumptions raised in Section 1 and the arising uncertainties so as to capture a reasonable level of
contingency. This in turn, has been benchmarked against other similar scopes of work.
This estimate realises an increase against the cost estimate assignment for NRG facilities at the Petten site in
2017, of €21M. This is due to additional facilities being considered in this 2020 estimate, an increase in Waste
Disposal costs to ‘COVRA’, a reassessment of some of the labour requirements to reflect some of the more
contaminated areas of the site, some inflationary impacts and a more detailed and considered analysis of
‘Discrete Risk’ in the programme. Some cost decreases are reported, and these are due to the cost benefits of
the ‘Programmised’ approach adopted and from the parametric modelling of the Asbestos Removal and
Demolition costs already incurred for the decommissioning of Buildings 5, 6 & 9. A full reconciliation and
explanation of variances to the 2017 estimate, are discussed further in Section 3.1.
In order to further ensure the integrity of this estimate, work has been performed to benchmark this estimate
against other similar nuclear decommissioning projects and programmes across the world in particular in the UK,
the US and in Europe. It is considered that the estimate presented is consistent with these estimates having
adjusted for factors such as international or cultural differences in labour rates and productivity. Contingency
provisions which represent 22.4% of the total cost estimate are also parametrically analysed and considered to
be consistent to other similar programmes and projects.
Within the €118M estimate, there is a provision for labour of €58.6M which itself includes recovery of €16M
overhead. This review has taken the labour rates provided by NRG which assume an element of overhead
recovery. This review assumes that the labour rates provided will recover all required overhead and that there
will be no significant over or under recovery of this provision.
Recommendations are made in this report to consider future site operations and to progress the realisation of
the following key opportunities and risk mitigations:
1. Maintain the high standards of housekeeping and seek to decontaminate the ‘Hot Cells’ in particular by
performing decontamination works during periods of building or facility ‘outage’, and where it is safe and
economical to do so.
2. Consider challenging the ‘Green Field’ status to which the decommissioning has to be performed, in
order to justify for example some flexibility around the removal of foundation pilings below a specific level.
3. Separate ‘Support & Overhead’ costs from the labour rates and treat the support and overhead costs as
a specific programme which will make such costs more visible, controllable and subject to performance
monitoring.
Limitations of this review are also noted in Section 1.
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1. Introduction
The ‘Nuclear Research & Consultancy Group’ (NRG) is the owner, operator & licence holder of a number of
Radiation Research Facilities and Laboratories within a site located at Petten, Netherlands. Aside from the
research activities performed at the site, NRG is Europe’s single biggest producer and supplier of ‘Molybdenum’,
a radiation source used widely across Europe in hospitals for cancer and other treatments.
NRG require a liability estimate for the cost of decommissioning these facilities to support the ongoing planning
for the future closure of these facilities which is not expected to commence until 2040-2050. It is understood that
this estimate will be used as the basis for a provision to be raised by NRG in its financial statements to reflect the
expected cost of the nuclear decommissioning of its facilities.
NRG have previously engaged Atkins in the construction of a liability estimate for the decommissioning of Petten
facilities in 2017.
The totality of the Petten site consists of a number of radioactive material processing facilities, waste treatment
areas, as well as conventional buildings including office accommodation, which are owned by a number of
different organisations.
Figure 1-1 - The Petten Site
The ‘NRG’ facilities shown in Figure 1 are highlighted in Green. In accordance with instruction from NRG, the
facilities or buildings required to form this estimate is limited only to those buildings which contain a ‘Radioactive
Condition’.
It was agreed with NRG that for this 2020 iteration of the cost estimate the following facilities and buildings would
be included:
• Building 7 Research laboratory
• Molybdenum Production Facility (MPF)
• *Building 15 GBD Building
• Building 21 Decontamination Building
• Building 22 Water Treatment Building
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• * Building 24 WTU Building
• Building 25 Solid Waste Processing Building (including the Stel-con area used for decontamination)
• Building 26 Waste Storage Facility
• * Building 28 ‘Fermi Lab’
• * Building 400 ‘Jaap Goedkoop’ Laboratory
• ‘Sea Discharge Line’ and ‘Other Drains’ between the above buildings
* These facilities were not previously estimated in 2017.
Note: There were three facilities which formed part of the estimate in 2017 (Buildings 5, 6 & 9) which have since
been demolished and returned to a state of ‘Green Field’ and therefore do not form part of the 2020 estimate.
In agreement with NRG, this 2020 cost estimate is calculated as if each area will be decommissioned as a
programme of works. Based on the practical decommissioning programme experience of the Atkins team, the
site is therefore divided into four distinct programmes from an organisational perspective such that NRG will
benefit economically from project synergies where they would likely exist in terms of knowledge,
decommissioning techniques, waste characterisations and physical location. This is a change in approach from
the 2017 estimate where each building was conservatively assumed to have its own project team.
The programmes have been defined as:
• ‘Hot Cell Laboratories’ (Building 7 & MPF);
• ‘Decontamination and Waste Treatment’ (DWT) facilities (Buildings 21, 22, 24, 25, 26);
• ‘Other Buildings’ (Buildings 15, 28 & 400); and
• ‘Sea Discharge Line and Other Drains’
The estimate is provided to meet the requirement of this assignment to take account of all costs associated with
the decommissioning of these research and processing facilities. In order to assist with benchmarking, these
costs are presented in accordance with the ‘International Standard for Decommissioning Costs’ (ISDC) format.
The costs are presented as:
• Labour costs
• Materials and equipment
• Other (External contract and waste container/COVRA disposal costs)
• Contingency consisting of estimating uncertainty and discrete risk
This document provides an estimate of the costs of decommissioning the research facilities and buildings listed
above, and is an update of the cost estimate carried out in 2017 (Ref 1)
A ‘Benchmarking’ exercise has also been completed to confirm that the estimates are in line with international
experience. In making the comparison between Netherlands and UK facilities, consideration has been made of
similarities and differences between the two countries. Similarities include similar technical understanding of the
challenges and the basis of regulation (EU based). Variations include differences in labour rates, productivity,
waste management (on-site versus off-site storage) and nuclear site staffing levels (UK sites labour costs are
driven by additional bureaucracy).
A further issue in carrying out benchmarking is the issue of currency changes. Estimates are made in 2020
Euros. Comparison with UK projects over the last 10 years is then used to calibrate or adjust these numbers,
but over the same period there have been significant changes in the GBP Euro exchange rate.
Section 3.1 of this report provides a reconciliation of this 2020 estimate with that provided in 2017 along with
analysis of the variations it contains.Deze publicatie is digitaal beschikbaar in de Laka-biblitoheek maar de pdf staat niet online.
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