(Note: the following is taken from the Argentina National Report to the Joint Convention for 2005)

Since its creation in 1950, the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) of the Argentine Republic has worked in the development of applications for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The legal framework applicable to radioactive waste is commensurate with the provisions of the Constitution and with the legislation adopted by the National Congress by Act 24804, which regulates the nuclear activity, and Act 25018, which lays down the Radioactive Waste Management Regime.

Radioactive Waste Management Policy

The Argentine Government is solely responsible for radioactive waste management and National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) is the organization responsible for its implementation. The regulation and supervision of radioactive waste management are inherent to the National Government and the Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN) is the independent state entity responsible for its implementation.

In Argentina the following criteria are applied to Radioactive Waste Management:

1. Allow for the withdrawal of radioactive material from regulatory control when on account of its activity concentration and/or total activity it may be released from regulatory control
2. Authorize the planned and controlled discharge of liquid and gaseous radioactive materials that originate from the normal operation of a nuclear facility and which on account of their total radioactivity may be released into the environment.
3. Treatment, conditioning and final disposal of radioactive waste, understanding that radioactive waste means materials that on account of their concentration of radioactivity and/or total radioactivity cannot be released into the environment.

Responsible Organizations

The National Law of Nuclear Activity established a regulatory body called the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) which is empowered to regulate and supervise the nuclear activity in all matters related to radiation and nuclear safety, physical protection and control of the use of nuclear materials, the licensing and surveillance of nuclear facilities and international safeguards. Act 25018, the Radioactive Waste Management Regime, establishes CNEA as the implementing Authority to perform all activities related to radioactive waste management and sets up Radioactive Waste Management National Program (PNGRR), which includes the Strategic Plan. As of 2005, the Strategic Plan had not yet been enacted as required by Act 25018.

Strategy

In the Argentine Republic Spent Fuel (SF) management policy lays down that: The Argentine Government exercises the state ownership of special radioactive fission material contained in SF originating from the operation of Nuclear Power Plants and from experimental, research and/or production reactors. (Act 24804, Art 2). The decision whether to reuse fissile material contained in SF or not, has to be adopted before 2030. With regard to SF originating from Research or Radioisotope Production Reactors and for which no further use is envisaged, the strategy considers two alternatives: Shipping them back to the country where they were originally enriched, if possible, or their conditioning for final disposal.

The Argentine Strategic Plan has provided three types of technological systems for final disposal:

1. Engineered Surface System, for radioactive waste requiring isolation periods of up to fifty (50) years.
2. Monolithic Near-Surface Repository, for radioactive waste requiring isolation periods of up to three hundred (300) years.
3. Deep Geological Repository, for radioactive waste requiring isolation periods in excess of three hundred (300) years.

According to such criteria and with the only purpose of characterizing radioactive wastes included in existing inventories reported, waste is classifications are defined as:

• CLASS B Disposable Radioactive Waste: means material treated and conditioned, with emitters and half-life of up to 30 years with radioactive concentration lower than 37 GBq/t and/or concentrations lower than 370 MBq/t from α emitters.
• CLASS M Disposable Radioactive Waste: means material treated and conditioned with emitters and half-life of up to 30 years with radioactive concentration in excess of 37 GBq/t and lower than 3.7 TBq/t and concentrations lower than 370 MBq/t from α emitters.
• CLASS A Disposable Radioactive Waste: means material treated and conditioned with emitters and half-life in excess of 30 years and/or whose activity is in excess of 3.7 TBq/t and/or whose concentration from α emitters exceeds concentrations of 370 MBq/t.

Notwithstanding the above classification, reference values assigned to a final disposal facility are specifically established in the respective license.

Class B Disposable Waste (Low level)

Low level waste is conditioned under quality system procedures and packed in 200 liter drums specially designed and disposed of in accordance with technologically improved final disposal systems. Such wastes include:

1. solid and liquid waste generated from nuclear power plants, isotope production facilities, research and production reactors, and facilities related to the fuel cycle;
2. non-compactable waste from the operation of both nuclear power plants conditioned in cement matrices;
3. spent sealed sources (short lived, 5 years), conditioned in drums and embedded in cement matrices;
4. liquid and solid biological waste generated from research centers, medical applications, etc., treated and conditioned in accordance with specific appropriate techniques.

Class M Disposable Waste (Intermediate Level)

The main volume consists of spent ionic exchange resins and filters used in the cleaning systems of nuclear power plants primary circuit. To date, accumulated resins and filters are stored at nuclear power plants waiting for the conditioning process.

A secondary volume of intermediate level waste consists mainly of spent conditioned sealed sources, conditioned structural material from the partial dismantling of a reactor for the production of radioisotopes, and some structural material generated from the industrial production of Co⁶⁰. Most of it is not conditioned and is at an interim storage facility awaiting its final disposal in an intermediate level repository which to date has not been built.

Class A Disposable Waste (High Level and/or Long Lived)

This type of waste mostly comes from fission products contained in SF generated from the operation of nuclear power plants and SF used in research and production reactors. The cooling channels parts with stellite replaced at CNA I Nuclear Power Plant should also be considered within this type of waste. Besides, wastes with alpha emitters from the experimental development of mixed oxide fuel (MOX) and other material which contains long lived isotopes, as those used in medicine (Radium tubes, cells and needles, Pu pacemakers, etc.) and in industry (neutron sources) are also within this type of waste.

Waste from Uranium Mining

This waste comes from the operation of six uranium mines, five of which are closed, and only one is presently in conditions to be operated, but temporarily shut down in safe conditions. Such wastes are the result of processed material called "tailings" or "mill tailings". In general, it is a finely divided material, similar to sand, from which the greatest possible quantity of uranium has been extracted. The tailings together with low-grade ore (not subject to economic exploitation) and the sterile, are called "mining waste".

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