Meetings of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Mangement

The constituent meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management took place on 16 and 17 June 2021. At this meeting, the members discussed the objectives, tasks and working methods of the Advisory Board. The collective introduction to the main topics of the mandate was achieved through lectures and discussions. The main points of the mandate concern the amount and type of radioactive waste in Austria, the different types of repositories using the example of repositories already in operation and the participation processes for the final disposal of other countries. Subsequently, a committee was formed for preparatory work on participation and involvement of the public.

The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management met for its second meeting on 13 and 14 October 2021, to specify the tasks of the Advisory Board and to set the next steps. In addition, the members visited Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH to gain an insight into the collection, reprocessing, conditioning and storage of radioactive waste in Austria. The impressions and information from this visit are collected in the report on the excursion. During this meeting, three committees were established, each dealing with the following mandate items:

• Radioactive Waste in Austria - Focus on Quantities
• Pathway to the Evaluation of Options for the Final Disposal
• Framework for Public Participation

The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management met for its third meeting on 26 and 27 January 2022. The goal of this meeting was to share the Committees‘ work, to deepen everyone‘s understanding of the mandate, to identify knowledge gaps and to initiate studies. The three established Committees reported on their work. It was decided to have an inventory of radioactive waste in Austria prepared as a basis for the Advisory Board.

Furthermore, the year 2021 was reflected upon and an outlook for the year 2022 was given. Due to the Covid 19 situation, the third meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management took place online.

The presentation of the results of the inventory of radioactive waste in Austria was the focus of the fourth meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management on 11 and 12 May 2022, resulting in the first recommendations for the report of the mandate. The further procedure for the development of a timetable and roadmap and the preparation of reports on the topics of legal framework conditions, long-term behavior of a repository, proposal for safety criteria for a facility for the long-term disposal of radioactive waste, proposal for siting criteria and comparison of the options of repositories was clarified. A study is to be prepared that will provide initial insights into the level of knowledge and understanding of the public. In addition, the meeting reflected on the work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management in its first year and the roadmap until 2024 was discussed.

The work progress of the Committees determined the fifth meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management on 19 and 20 October 2022. The study author presented the additions to the study report "Inventory of Radioactive Waste" and the initial recommendations derived from them are recorded. The interim results presented for the "Legal Framework Conditions" study should be incorporated into the timetable and roadmap. The "Framework for Public Participation" Committee provided information on the current status of the participation concept. In addition, the research design of the study on the level of knowledge and understanding of the population was presented. The timetable and roadmap prepared by the Office were presented and discussed and resulted in the formation of the "Timetable and Schedule" Committee.

The objective of the sixth meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management on 1 and 2 February 2023, was to derive and record initial recommendations from the reports "Legal Framework" and "Proposal on Safety Criteria regarding a facility for the long-term Disposal of Radioactive Waste". Furthermore, there was a presentation of the report "Long-term Behaviour of a Repository". The committee "Framework  for Public Participation" reported on the current status of the preparation of the participation concept. The draft of the timetable and roadmap was revised with regard to the report "Legal Framework Conditions" and first recommendations were discussed.

The seventh meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management was held on 10 and 11 May 2023. The results and recommendations of the study "Legal Framework" were presented by the Committee "Pathway to the Evaluation of Options for the Final Disposal". Furthermore, the Öko-Institut Darmstadt presented the concept of the study "Comparison of Repository Options" and the amended report "Proposal on Safety Criteria regarding a facility for the long-term Disposal of Radioactive Waste" was presented. The authors of the study "Austria and its radioactive waste: What you always wanted to know and we always wanted to ask you" presented the study results, which were then discussed by the Advisory Board. In addition, the Advisory Board was informed about the current status of the preparation of the participation concept. The timetable and roadmap was adjusted after consultation with the Committee "Framework for Public Involvement" and first key performance indicators for the timetable and roadmap were mentioned. Key performance indicators are a tool for quantitatively measuring short- and long-term goals.

The focus of the eighth meeting of the Advisory Board on 27 and 28 September 2023 was to align everyone’s views regarding the report and the presentation of the recommendations on the individual mandate items. The Institute for Applied Ecology Darmstadt presented the study "Comparison of Options for Final Repositories". The authors of the report "Proposal for Site Selection Criteria" presented their draft, which will be completed by the ninth session. The committee on the "Framework for Public Participation" presented the paper with recommendation for a participation concept, which will be finalised before the ninth session after revision based on the feedback from the Advisory Board. The timetable and roadmap will be adapted regarding the recommendations of the other committees.

The Advisory Board decided to hold an extraordinary meeting to coordinate the recommendations before the ninth meeting.

The aim of the ninth meeting on 31 January and 1 February 2024 was to adopt initial recommendations on the individual mandate items. The further procedure and the status of the report were also discussed. The authors of the report "Proposal for siting criteria" presented it and discussed it with the Advisory Board.

The Austrian Board for Radioavtice Waste Mangement decided to hold an extraordinary meeting on 4 April 2024 to vote on the recommendations before the tenth meeting.

The aim of the tenth meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management on May 15 and 16, 2024, was to complete the report. The last recommendations on the specific mandate points were introduced and approved. During this meeting, the report of the Advisory Board to the Federal Government, containing all recommendations and their respective attachments, the participation concept, and the timetable and roadmap, was approved.

The Advisory Board met for its eleventh meeting on 2 and 3 October 2024. At this meeting, the report of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Managment including its recommendations was presented to Federal Minister L. Gewessler, representing the Federal Government. The  Advisory Board was instructed to continue its work until the end of 2025.

The objectives of this meeting were to establish the framework for further work, to obtain an overview of the planned work and to decide on the implementation of the necessary studies. The tasks and next steps of the committees were also defined.