How is a nuclear power plant decommissioned, and what happens to the site?

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1. 1

   Sustainable Decommissioning Strategies for Nuclear Power Plants: A Systematic Literature Review

   Sustainability (Park et al.)Published May 13, 2022Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “Although there are a limited number of countries with experience and knowledge in the management of decommissioning multiple NPPs, researchers in countries just starting NPP decommissioning need diverse research information on how to formulate a sustainable decommissioning strategy as well as related factors. In particular, a systematic review of decommissioning strategies, such as DD, ID, and ET, and the influencing factors associated with each strategy is needed from the researcher’s point of view. In this regard, this study reviews the research literature on decommissioning strategies for nuclear power plants with a sustainable perspective. A systematic method involving a meta-analysis is used. The results of this study confirm that many researchers are most interested in DD and are dealing with ID and ET at the same level, but in reality, DD and ID are being adopted at similar rates. Thus far, only three ETs have been adopted in the United States. Most countries that have adopted ID are deemed to have been influenced by political decisions.”

2. 2

   Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants

   Nuclear Power (Solomon)Published Mar 13, 2019Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “This chapter begins with the alternative decommissioning methods and associated issues. It deals with a review of actual decommissioning experience in the US and abroad, environmental impacts, the transport of radioactive nuclear waste, and post-decommissioning land use options. The greatest concentration of experience with nuclear power plant decommissioning is in the United States. Several categories of nuclear power plants have been decommissioned in the US, from experimental research reactors to licensed power reactors. Many of the environmental impacts of nuclear power plant decommissioning will be positive, partially offsetting negative impacts of plant construction and operation. The decommissioning of nuclear power plants results in a large volume of solid and liquid nuclear waste for disposal. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently stipulates that any decommissioning method is acceptable, but that a nuclear power plant licensee must address plans for decommissioning the nuclear facility before an operating license is issued. The chapter concludes with future decommissioning problems and potential mitigation strategies.”

3. 3

   Costs of Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants

   Nuclear Development (Agency & OECD)Published Apr 4, 2016Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “While refurbishments for the long-term operation of nuclear power plants and for the lifetime extension of such plants have been widely pursued in recent years, the number of plants to be decommissioned is nonetheless expected to increase in future, particularly in the United States and Europe. It is thus important to understand the costs of decommissioning so as to develop coherent and cost-effective strategies, realistic cost estimates based on decommissioning plans from the outset of operations and mechanisms to ensure that future decommissioning expenses can be adequately covered. This study presents the results of an NEA review of the costs of decommissioning nuclear power plants and of overall funding practices adopted across NEA member countries. The study is based on the results of this NEA questionnaire, on actual decommissioning costs or estimates, and on plans for the establishment and management of decommissioning funds. Case studies are included to provide insight into decommissioning practices in a number of countries.”

4. 4

   Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants and Storage of Nuclear Waste

   Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz (Wealer et al.)Published Jan 1, 2019Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “Germany was able to gain some decommissioning experiences but not one large-scale reactor has been released from regulatory control. EDF was forced to cancel its target to immediately dismantle all GCRs by 2036 due to underestimated technological challenges, while in the U.K., decommissioning of the legacy fleet lasts well into the 22nd century. Until now, no scale effects could be observed, if EDF can reap scale effects due to the standardization of its fleet remains to be seen. The search for a deep geological disposal facility is the most advanced in France, where the start date is fixed by law to 2025. There are many uncertainties related to estimated future costs. In the three countries, three different funding schemes are implemented: Germany switched from internal non-segregated funds to an external segregated fund for waste management. In the U.K. the decommissioning of the legacy fleet will be paid by the taxpayer for the next 100 years while an external segregated fund was established for the current operational fleet. In France, an internal segregated fund finances the future liabilities of EDF.”

5. 5

   Nuclear Decommissioning and the Political Economy of Waste: Exploring Nuclear Attachments in Italy.

   Social studies of science (Orsini)Published Mar 22, 2026Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “Overshadowed by expert and public debates over reactor safety and waste disposal solutions, nuclear decommissioning is a variably long transitional phase during which host communities face numerous uncertainties regarding their future and nuclear sites' cleanup results. What happens to nuclear facilities when they become obsolete and need to retire? How much does it cost to dismantle a nuclear plant, and what are the socioecological implications of decommissioning projects? Focusing on one case in Italy, this study adopts a longitudinal approach to nuclear site biographies, demonstrating how national regulations, decommissioning funding schemes, technical and environmental characteristics of the facilities, and the socioeconomic conditions of affected communities concur to shape decommissioning projects. My approach builds on recent works on nuclear attachments exploring local communities' ambivalence toward nuclear installations. I argue that decommissioning processes should be analyzed considering larger management schemes, interests, and constraints that at multiple levels concur to form political economies of nuclear waste.”

6. 6

   Organizational models for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants: Lessons from the United Kingdom and the United States

   Utilities Policy (Wimmers & Hirschhausen)Published Oct 7, 2024Checked Oct 18, 2026

   “This paper attempts to examine the organizational efficiencies in nuclear decommissioning by applying the framework of the "system good" analysis and assessments based on new institutional economics. It compares the former parent-body-organization model practiced in the United Kingdom with current approaches observed in the United States, highlighting potential gains and policy recommendations for private sector involvement in nuclear decommissioning. Inefficiencies experienced in the United Kingdom include regulatory issues, private actors' opportunism, and information asymmetries. Comparatively, the models observed in the United States show fewer such issues, but regulators should address potential profit-driven shortcuts and funding adequacy. • Analysis of necessary processes, assets and coordination to decommission NPPs • Description of historic development of decommissioning regulation in UK and US • Comparison of identified organizational models based on new institutional economics • Identification of inefficiencies and points of failure for private sector inclusion • Assessment of potential benefits and risks of certain organizational models”