JOINT CONVENTION ON THE SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT AND ON THE SAFETY OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

JOINT CONVENTION ON THE SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT AND ON THE SAFETY OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT The joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and safety of radioactive waste management is intended for all states and covers all kinds of waste especially radioactive waste. Spent fuel and radioactive waste management are major operations of the downstream sector of the nuclear industry and pose serious environmental, safety and security threats when they are not properly managed. Thus, the objective of the seminar is to notify participants on the flashpoints of the joint convention and summarize the responsibilities of contracting parties as well as review Nigeria’s performance as a contracting party and the immense benefits which came with a state’s position as a contracting party of the joint convention. Between the period of March 1995 to July 1997, various meetings were held at various locations around the globe concerning the joint convention of which the IAEA board of governors where key stakeholders in convening these meetings which sought solution to the key issues of spent fuel, trans-boundary movements, military waste and interaction with the convention on nuclear safety. The September 1997 convention adopted a diplomatic conference with 42 signatories and by June 2001, the convention came into force with 15 of the nuclear power plant countries depositing instruments of ratification. Since then three review meetings have been held in November 2003, May 2006 and May 2009. As at May 2009, the total number of contracting parties stood at forty-six, six of which are African countries. The joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and the safety of radioactive waste management is the first of its kind as an international legislation in the area of radioactive waste management, legally binding on contracting parties with its technical basis provided by the Safety Fundamentals ‘’The Principles of Radioactive Waste Management’’[IAEA Safety Series No.111-F,(1995)].the joint convention is an incentive convention with no fixed penalties and intended to stimulate improvement in safety. Being a contracting party to the joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and the safety of radioactive waste management comes with some key benefits some of which are improvements in safety as an outcome of the review process, knowledge acquisition through information exchange, improved credibility owing to involvement in an international safety convention, support in case of malpractice on the part of a neighbouring state and possible technical support from other contracting parties.

Seminar presented by, Prof. Timothy Akpa