Report of
FNCA 2007 Workshop on
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM)
November 19 - 23
Bangkok, Thailand

The FNCA 2007 Workshop on Radioactive Waste Management was held over five days from November 19 to 23, 2007, in Bangkok, Thailand, attended by 26 experts from FNCA member countries, and co-hosted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan and the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) as the local host organization.

	The opening Mr. Somporn Chongkum and Mr. Kosako

1) Summary of the Workshop

This project was initiated in 1995, with the aim of exchanging and sharing among FNCA countries information and knowledge about radioactive waste management obtained through experience, and helping to improving the safety of radioactive waste management in the Asian region. The center of the project activities is an annual workshop under the rotating chairmanship of FNCA countries, where project leaders of each country and experts in the subject covered by each workshop are invited and a total of 373 participants have attended.

The thirteenth workshop this time was attended by the delegates of ten FNCA participating countries, namely Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, who are involving in policy making, regulation, operation, and research and development of radioactive waste management. The workshop featured presentations of country reports, the introduction of the task having run in Thailand and Vietnam in August, a roundtable discussion, a technical tour and so on. And the IAEA participated as an observer.

2) Outline of the Holding

1)Date: November 19 (Mon) - 23 (Fri), 2007
2)Place: Bangkok, Thailand
3)Hosted by: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) of Japan and Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT)
4)Participants: A total of 26 including Australia 1, Bangladesh 1, China 1, Indonesia 2, Japan 4, Korea 1, Malaysia 2, The Philippines 2, Thailand 9, Vietnam 2, and IAEA 1 (see also the attached document)
5)Program: See the attached document

A scene of poster session by Mr. Zaitsu FNCA countries presented country reports on the present status and the progress of radioactive waste management activities in each country.		A scene of Session 1 Chaired by Mr. Futatsukawa

In Session 1 on the first day of the workshop, FNCA countries presented country reports on the present status and the progress of radioactive waste management activities in each country, and then Poster/Mini-Exhibition was held for promoting the further understanding of FNCA countries.

In Sessions 2, 3, and 4 on the second day, sub-meeting discussions were held on the topics "Management of Medical Radioactive Wastes," "Siting of Disposal Facilities" and "Safety Assessment and Design Concept of Disposal Facilities." By introducing the situation in each country along with the latest knowledge and discussing them from different viewpoints, participants could achieve a comprehensive understanding and were encouraged to use that understanding for the purposes of radioactive waste management in each country. In addition, recent IAEA initiatives in radioactive waste management, decommissioning, and other areas were introduced.

On the third day, participants visited a hazardous waste management facility in Thailand operated by GENCO Public Co., Ltd., which is located in Rayong Province, about 140 kilometers to the south-southeast from Bangkok, to learn about the treatment of hazardous waste in Thailand.

GENCO dealing with industrial waste in Thailand Participants visited an industrial waste disposal plant and listened about the treatment of hazardous waste in Thailand.		The entrance of GENCO Although GENCO is a company dealing with industrial waste, its office looked clean and the planting around its building was rich in variety and well tended. They explained that to keep their work place clean and tidy is an important part of their effort to win the understanding of local residents.

On the fourth day, following a presentation titled "Issues and Trends in Radioactive Waste Management: the IAEA's Perspective" by the IAEA, a roundtable discussion on the "Interim Report of Decommissioning and Clearance Task Group Activities" was held as Session 5. In this session, the results of the Discussion/Survey Meeting in Thailand and Vietnam in August were reported, highlighting the importance of collecting technical data on-site and accurately understanding and assessing local situations for considering regulations such as standards and acts. And it was recognized that common approaches should be investigated and considered to introduce scientific and rational regulations so as not to place an unnecessary burden on the public and industries of FNCA countries.

In Session 6, a roundtable discussion was held, titled "An Overview of FNCA Radioactive Waste Management Activities and Future Direction." It was agreed that the radioactive waste management project has brought useful knowledge and information to each country, encouraged understanding of radioactive waste management, especially in technical aspects, and facilitated information exchange among Asian countries.

Moreover, the three-year plan of the FNCA framework from FY2005 to FY2007 was discussed, and it was concluded that the outcomes of the discussion were acceptable for each country.

Minutes of
FNCA 2007 Workshop on
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM)
November 19 - 23
Bangkok, Thailand

The FNCA 2007 Workshop on Radioactive Waste Management was held from November 19 to 23, 2007, in Bangkok, Thailand. This Workshop was hosted by Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) as the local host organization and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, in cooperation with Nuclear Safety Research Association (NSRA).

Representatives from ten FNCA member countries involved in policy making, regulation, operations and R&D on radioactive waste management attended the workshop, i.e., Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the meeting, IAEA representative also attended the workshop as an observer.

On the first day, Session 1, country reports were presented on present status and progress of radioactive waste management activities in each FNCA country.

After Session 1, Poster/Mini-Exhibition was held. This Poster/Mini-Exhibition was successful in enhancing further the understanding of activities in RWM among FNCA countries.

On the second day, sub-meeting discussions were held on theme "Management of Medical Radioactive Wastes", "Siting of Disposal Facilities" and "Safety Assessment and Design Concept of Disposal Facilities" as Session 2, 3 and 4, respectively, to promote comprehensive understandings from different viewpoints of FNCA countries. And, a short presentation about Recent IAEA Initiatives in RWM and D&D was added to the program.

On the third day, a technical visit to Thailand hazardous waste management facility operated by GENCO Public Co., Ltd. which is located at in Rayong Province was undertaken.

On the fourth day following a presentation entitled 'Issues and Trends in Radioactive Waste Management: the IAEA's Perspective, a roundtable discussion on "Interim Report of Decommissioning and Clearance Task Group Activities" was held as Session 5 to confirm the result of Discussion/Survey Meeting to Thailand and Vietnam highlighting the importance of collection of technical data on-site and assessment of the local situation. It was also recognized that common approaches should be investigated to settle scientific and rational regulation in order not to place unnecessary burden on the public and industry of the FNCA region.

In Session 6, a roundtable discussion was held on "Overview of FNCA-RWM Activities and Future Direction". It was recognized that RWM project has been conducted successfully and resulted in the good understanding about radioactive waste management especially in technical aspects and facilitated information exchange among Asian countries.

The "RWM 3-Year Work Plan for 2005-2007" under the FNCA framework was discussed and successfully concluded.

On the future direction, the following issues were discussed.

All FNCA Project Leaders recognized the high value that the FNCA RWM Workshops have provided for more than 10 years. The benefits gained include information exchange and the sharing of experiences on common radioactive waste management, decommissioning and disposal issues. The Project Leaders were unanimous in their support for the FNCA RWM workshops and expressed the need to sustain this cooperation to ensure that radioactive waste management issues are being continually addressed in the region. It was also recognized for a need to address additional issues as offered by the ANSN in the area of development and sharing of nuclear safety knowledge. The FNCA RWM Workshops have been valuable as specific forums for radioactive waste management practitioners in the Asian region and which are not tackled in detail in other forums. Whilst the ANSN is able to deliver in the area of nuclear safety knowledge it is also important to understand that the FNCA RWM Workshops have specific radioactive waste management topics. The radioactive waste management topics should complement the ANSN sponsored activities which mainly focus on safety related issues.

Participants of this Workshop expressed appreciation to the organizers, i.e. TINT and MEXT, and to the cooperation of NSRA.
These minutes are planned to be submitted to the 9^th FNCA Coordinators Meeting for approval, which will be held on March 10 and 11, 2008.

Annex-1: Summary of each session
Annex-2: Program of the FNCA 2007 Workshop on Radioactive Waste Management
Annex-3: List of Participants

Program of
FNCA 2007 Workshop on
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM)
November 19 - 23
Bangkok, Thailand

List of Participants
FNCA 2007 Workshop on
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM)
November 19 - 23
Bangkok, Thailand

1. Mr. Lubi DIMITROVSKI
   Manager, Waste Operations
   Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO)
2. Mr.Abdul Koddus
   Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission
   INST, HPRWMU, AERE, Savar, Dhaka-1349
   Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission
3. Prof. CUI Anxi
   Deputy Director of Waste Management Department
   China Institute for Radiation Protection
4. Mr.Djarot S. Wisnubroto
   Director, Radioactive Waste Technology Center
5. Mr.Achmad Sjarmufni
   Division Head, Radwaste Disposal Technology
   Center for Radwaste Technology, BATAN
6. Mr.HO YEON YANG
   Senior Manager of Radwaste Treatment Technology Team
   Nuclear Engineering & Technology Institute, KHNP
7. Mr.SYED ABDUL MALIK BIN SYED ZAIN
   Senior Research Officer/Manager
   Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuclear Malaysia)
8. Ms.TENG IYU LIN
   Senior Assistant Director
   Atomic Energy Licensing Board
9. Ms.Maria Visitacion B.Palattao
   Senior Science Research Specialist
   Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
10. Ms.EDITHA A. MARCELO
    Senior Science Research Specialist
    Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
11. Mr.VU HUNG TRIEU
    Deputy Director of Center for Radioactive Waste Management
    Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements
    Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission
12. Mr.CAO DINH THANH
    Deputy Director of Department for Planning and R&D Management
    Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission
13. Mr. Jan-Marie POTIER
    Head of Waste Technology Section
    Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
    International Atomic Energy Agency
14. Professor TOSHISO KOSAKO
    Professor
    Department of Nuclear Professional School,
    Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
15. Mr. TOMOHISA ZAITSU
    Deputy Division Manager
    Environmental Research and Development Division
    Ningyo-toge Environmental Engineering Center
    Japan Atomic Energy Agency
16. Dr. SHOJI FUTATSUKAWA
    Manager
    Radioisotopes Division
    Japan Radioisotope Association
17. Mr. HIDEHARU SATO
    General Manager
    International Affaires and Research Department
    Nuclear Safety Research Association
18. Mr. Sutat Thiangtrongjit
    Manager, Radioactive Waste Management Center
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
19. Ms. Nanthavan Ya-Anant
    Nuclear Science Specialist
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
20. Mr. Pirat Sriyotha
    Senior Nuclear Scientist
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
21. Mr. Nikom Prasertchiewchan
    Senior Nuclear Scientist
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
22. Ms. Archara Phattanasub
    Nuclear Scientist
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
23. Mr. Panya Nuanjan
    Nuclear Scientist
    Senior Nuclear Scientist
    Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
24. Ms. Pattra Supaokit
    Nuclear Science Specialist
    Office of Atoms for Peace
25. Ms. Suntree Kaewpaluek
    Nuclear Chemist
    Office of Atoms for Peace
26. Mr. Yuthana Tumnoi
    Nuclear Scientist
    Office of Atoms for Peace