South Africa moves to properly manage radioactive wastes

South Africa has entered a watershed in the history of the management of radioactive wastes in the country, authorities said on Tuesday. For this purpose, the government has established the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI), with the responsibility of managing radioactive waste disposal on a national basis, the Department of Energy said. In addition, the Institute will also be responsible for the management and disposal of radioactive wastes and materials that emanate from the use of ionizing radiation at medical facilities such as hospitals and clinics, from industrial activities such as mining, non-destructive testing (NDT), well-logging, agriculture, as well as from any other entity which has to dispose of radioactive waste. One of the major activities that the Institute is charged with in terms of legislation is to plan, design, construct, operate, manage and monitor any new radioactive waste disposal facilities. The institute, officially launched in Pretoria on Monday, "is a culmination of more than a decade of careful planning and consultation activities by government with the public, stakeholders and interest parties," the department said. The safe management and disposal of low-level, intermediate- level, and high-level radioactive wastes, which are generated through the operation of nuclear power plants to produce electricity, is a paramount activity of nations that use nuclear energy on a commercial scale for this purpose. These wastes are also generated in other industrial activities such as in the production of radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals for medical applications and research purposes. South Africa has taken a step in the right direction at the international level, in view of the fact that although intensive on-going research and development has been conducted by many countries over the years, no country has as yet however developed and licensed a high-level radioactive waste deep disposal facility, said Robert Nkuna, advisor to Minister of Energy Dikobe Ben Martins. "This means that South Africa will henceforth even more vigorously continue to be at the cutting edge of the state-of-the- art international activities to research and develop such a facility, and will collaborate with leading entities worldwide in this effort," Nkuna said. South Africa's high-level radioactive wastes are currently temporarily stored at facilities at the Koeberg nuclear plant near Cape Town and the Pelindaba Nuclear Research Center near Pretoria. The Koeberg is the only nuclear plant on the African continent.