Approve the new National Program for the management of radioactive waste, guarantee the resources for ISIN control activities and create the National Repository ensuring the necessary timing, the results of the ARTEMIS mission.

The IAEA ARTEMIS (Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation) mission has concluded with the release of 9 recommendations, 10 suggestions and 1 good practice. The mission, coordinated by ISIN, was requested by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security with the aim of verifying the state of implementation of the National Program for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel and the related national reference framework.

After examining the extensive documentation produced and following repeated meetings that began last October 2, the review team made up of 6 international experts with the support of 4 experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), deemed it appropriate address some recommendations to the Italian Government. The need to speed up the approval of the 2023 National Programme, which envisages geological disposal as the final destination of spent fuel and highly radioactive waste, is a priority. The invitation is to review, where necessary, the calendar for the implementation of the National Programme, confirming that it is actually achievable; the necessary timescales must also be ensured for the security assessments that SOGIN will have to prepare and the ISIN will have to verify for the purposes of issuing the authorization for the construction of the national warehouse.

Furthermore, it is essential to guarantee ISIN the resources to be able to carry out its institutional responsibilities for controlling all the activities envisaged by the Programme.

The experts of the ARTEMIS mission also identified 10 suggestions as opportunities for improvement for Italy on the following topics: updating regulatory indications, development of a waste certification program, procedure for the location of the National Repository and the involvement of the population in the decision-making process, activation of a study program for geological disposal, finalization of procurement contracts for waste dismantling and treatment activities.

The team identified areas for improvement, including the development of a research agenda clearly linked to support in the implementation of the National Programme.

The extensive training and collaborative development program for nuclear professionals established in Italy by many institutions is considered exemplary: the number of students attracted to Italian professional development programs on radioactive waste and the number of qualified professionals who graduate each year was found to be particularly significant, also considering the fact that our country does not currently have an operational program on nuclear energy.

The link to the IAEA press release: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-mission-says-italy-committed-to-managing-radioactive-waste-safely-sees-areas-for-improvement