Opening Remarks
 

1:05 - 1:25 p.m.

New IAEA Safety Guide on Long Term Post-Remediation Management  

Chantal Mommaert, International Atomic Energy Agency

Residual radioactive contamination in areas affected by past activities or events may pose risks to people and the environment. The affected areas can vary widely in size and level of impact and require substantial commitments of resources in terms of time, funding, personnel and capabilities for the implementation of remediation programmes.

Remediation, however, does not imply complete removal of existing contamination. When contamination is not completely removed, it is necessary to manage the risks from residual contamination by either restricting the uses of the remediated areas or by maintaining control over the source and exposure pathways in the long term, or a combination of both. In recent decades, IAEA Member States have made progress in the remediation of areas affected by past activities or events, which has led to a gradual shift in focus to the post-remediation management of these areas to ensure the long-term protection of people and the environment.

There is currently no specific IAEA guidance for the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated approach to post-remediation management that ensures the continued effectiveness of remediation and the protection of people and the environment in the long term.

This new Safety Guide will provide recommendations on the planning and implementation of long-term post-remediation management of areas affected by past activities or events. It will cover the post-remediation management of areas affected by residual radioactive material, considered within the requirements for existing exposure situations. This includes areas that have undergone remediation, areas for which remediation has been considered and determined not to be justified or optimal, but where ‘post-remediation management’ is necessary, and areas for which remediation or post-remediation management activities are being planned. The draft guide has been submitted to the IAEA Safety Standards review process. Publication of the guide is expected by 2028.

Coauthors: Edgar Carvalho, Vladan Ljubenov, and Anna Clark (IAEA)

1:25 - 1:45 p.m. 

Embedding Sustainability, Resilience, and Circularity into Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Jo-Anne Wakem, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), on behalf of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, is undertaking extensive environmental remediation across Canada, involving complex, large-scale activities expected to span decades. To support its mandate to restore and protect the environment, CNL has developed the Environmental Site Assessment and Remediation (ESAR) standard, which integrates sustainability, resilience, and circular economy principles across environmental site assessment, risk assessment, and remediation planning and implementation.

The ESAR standard emphasizes early data collection, the application of risk-based environmental screening criteria to streamline site investigations, and environmental risk assessments to evaluate the need for remediation or risk management based on future land use and risks to humans and the environment.

An integral step of the ESAR standard is the Remedial Options Evaluation (ROE) standard, which compares remedial strategies based on cost, feasibility, long-term effectiveness, schedule, strategic need, business need, and environmental impact. Sustainability, circular economy principles, and resilience are embedded throughout, ensuring that selected approaches remain robust under evolving regulatory, environmental, and economic conditions.

The ESAR and ROE standards align with CNL’s Integrated Waste Strategy, Sustainability Strategy, and Soil Management Process. These initiatives all aim to minimize waste, prevent future liabilities, reduce environmental footprints, engage stakeholders, and protect human and ecological health. By embedding principles of sustainability, resilience, and circularity into its standards, CNL strengthens its leadership in both nuclear and non-radiological cleanup. This approach supports safer, more sustainable remediation outcomes and helps achieve resilient end-states, economically, institutionally, environmentally, and socially.

1:45 - 2:05 p.m.

Perspectives and Challenges to Sustainable Remediation of Uranium Legacy Sites in Africa

Edgar Carvalho, International Atomic Energy Agency

The IAEA established in 2012 the Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS), with the support of the European Union, to facilitate cooperation among IAEA Member States from Central Asia and national and international organizations involved in the remediation or regulatory oversight of uranium legacy sites.

With the steady progress being made towards the completion of the remediation of the priority sites in Central Asia and considering the requests from IAEA Member States through several General Conference resolutions, CGULS has extended its activities to support African Member States in addressing the challenges posed by former uranium mining and processing in the region.

Uranium has historically been mined in Africa since the 1940s in different countries and has also been co-mined with other commodities such as gold. The extensive mining activity in Africa resulted in degraded mining infrastructure and radioactive mining waste, that poses significant risks to safety and health of people and the environment, which are exacerbated by widespread poor social conditions and often informal settlings in contaminated areas.

Addressing the remediation of uranium mining in the region requires a tailored approach to achieve economically, institutionally, environmentally and socially resilient end state solutions. More than a cost, the remediation of these areas are opportunities for improvement of socio-economic conditions through the generation of income and better living conditions. Circular economy principles should be applied to the existing residues and solutions for reuse, reprocessing or recycling of these residues needs to be considered.

Additionally, considering that the climate conditions in Africa could range from desert to tropical climates, the selection of covers and revegetation solutions should consider the adaptation to local weather conditions, including low-tech and low-maintenance solutions and techniques, based on indigenous and empirical knowledge and supported on natural engineering principles to promote resilient and sustainable remediation solutions.

Coauthors: Chantal Mommaert (IAEA)

2:05 - 2:25 p.m.

The SURRI Project: Developing New Biorecovery Approaches at Legacy Uranium and Polymetallic Mining Sites

Veronika Hlavackova, Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic

Former uranium and polymetallic mining and production facilities present complex remediation and rehabilitation challenges. In addition to the presence of potentially toxic metals and other toxic compounds, and (in some cases, depending on local mineralogy) acid drainage, for uranium mining and milling tailings in particular significant risk may be generated by the presence of elevated radioactivity due to uranium and daughter products. Coupled with the often-large spatial coverage of tailings and other wastes, and their susceptibility to leaching, erosion or collapse, this means that sizeable areas of land are made unfit for other uses and require risk management or rehabilitation. These sites do, however, present potential opportunities to couple remediation and risk management with resource recovery, including of critical elements, supporting local and regional critical element supply chains and economies.

The SURRI project is a Horizon Europe programme aimed at building capacity and skills supporting new integrated (and more sustainable and circular economy-focused) risk management methods for legacy uranium and polymetallic mining and production sites in Eastern Europe. Led by the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic, the project draws on expertise from partners in Italy, Spain and the UK to develop new electrochemical and biological remediation processes to manage risk from potentially toxic elements, including uranium and uranium-daughter products, in legacy solid wastes and surface- and ground-waters, while also developing new methods for element recovery and re-use from waste solids and leachates / drainage waters.

This presentation focuses particularly on the application of low-cost and more sustainable element biorecovery methods, and presents data on development of new phyto-, fungal- and bacterial-based methods for recovery of critical elements (e.g. noble metals, Se, Zn, Cu and Ni) in nano-, biomolecule and other forms from mining wastes, for potential use in novel green chemical, photoelectronic and other applications.

Coauthors: Nhung H.A. Nguyen (Technical University of Liberec); Frances Burrell (GAU-Radioanalytical/University of Southampton); Alena Sevcu, Miroslav Cernik, Martin Palusak, Vira Velianik, and Trung Duc Le (Technical University of Liberec); Cristina Povedano Priego (Universidad de Granada); Andrew B. Cundy (GAU-Radioanalytical/University of Southampton); Mohamed Merroun (Universidad de Granada)

2:25 - 2:45 p.m.

Empowering Greener Practices: Optimizing Remediation Injection Operations with Digital Tools

Julia Vidonish Aspinall, Arcadis, Inc.

As industries increasingly prioritize sustainability and innovation, digital tools have become essential for streamlining operations and driving environmental stewardship. The Remediation Injection Monitoring Application is one such tool that exemplifies this shift, by providing remediation practitioners with a platform to collect and analyze real-time data for injection system management. By enabling precision-driven decisions, automating reporting, and enhancing visibility into injection processes, such applications minimize inefficiencies, reduce errors, and supports compliance with environmental standards.

For remediation practitioners, the application at its core functions is an essential resource. The platform promotes resource-efficient operations and informed decision-making that allows adaptive responses to dynamic field conditions. By optimizing resource use, lowering energy consumption, and minimizing environmental impact, such applications deliver sustainability benefits while enhancing transparency and accountability in environmentally responsible practices. Standardization enabled by such digital tools ensures consistent field practices that align with the guidance of Arcadis’s technical expert community regardless of the field staff onsite. This ensures delivery of uniform results to clients, advancing digital transformation and automation. Implementation risks, such as cybersecurity threats and connectivity challenges, can be mitigated through robust data management protocols and collaboration with technology providers. Connectivity challenges can be addressed through effective collaboration between technology providers and field teams.

In our presentation we will highlight case studies that showcases the application’s role in driving actionable decisions while supporting more sustainable project implementation. With these case studies we will share lessons learned and key success that have contributed to the continual improvement of the Remediation Injection Monitoring Application. Finally, we will include discussion of how the tool led to outcome that required less materials, emitted less carbon and reduced water needs for the sites. 

Coauthors: Soumitri "Mimi" Sarkar, Sydney Olund, and Jessica Gattenby (Arcadis, Inc.)

Break

3:15 - 3:35 p.m.

Building Efficiencies into Groundwater Compliance Strategies Under UMTRCA by Integrating Adaptive Site Management Principles

Anthony Farinacci, RSI EnTech, LLC

The long-term management of groundwater at legacy uranium mill sites under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) presents unique challenges, including evolving site conditions, complex hydrogeology, and the need for stakeholder-inclusive decision-making over multidecadal horizons. Although UMTRCA regulations (Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Section 192 [40 CFR 192]) establish fixed performance standards, they do not prescribe the mechanisms for managing dynamic site conditions. This lack of mechanism can lead to uncertainties and delays in management of compliance strategies and decision making at sites.  Integration of adaptive site management (ASM) strategies within the UMTRCA framework, particularly through the design and implementation of Groundwater Compliance Action Plans (GCAPs), can help provide flexibility and more clarity to adjust to changing conditions.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) is currently working on updating 10 GCAPs because the associated compliance strategies have never been concurred upon by the regulators or the strategies are not going to meet the performance standards. The effort to update and finalize GCAPs can be substantial. This situation provides an opportunity to embrace mechanisms that have proven successful for similar sites in other regulatory environments such as utilizing ASM principles in GCAPs to provide structured flexibility while maintaining regulatory compliance. Key features could include performance-based monitoring frameworks, predefined decision points, contingency planning, and stakeholder-informed triggers for action. These built-in elements allow for iterative, data-driven decision-making, evaluation of remedy performance, inclusion of advanced modeling techniques and new technologies, and adjustments to monitoring strategies without the need to formally reopen or amend GCAPs. 

Case studies from LM sites illustrate how sites have successfully supported adaptive monitoring and remedy transition while maintaining alignment with UMTRCA’s statutory requirements without the clear mechanism to efficiently manage change. There are clear advantages and opportunities that ASM principles offer including increased efficiency, risk-informed flexibility, and alignment with LM’s long-term stewardship goals.

Coauthors: Meghann Hurt and Mary Young (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management); Al Laase (RSI EnTech, LLC)

3:35 - 3:55 p.m.

Redefining Remediation of Radioactively Contaminated Sites: Integrating AI, Circularity, and Sustainability for Holistic Site Management

Horst Monken Fernandes, International Atomic Energy Agency

Remediation of radiologically contaminated sites is undergoing a paradigm shift, driven by the imperative of sustainability and supported by emerging technologies and systems thinking. Traditional remediation approaches—often linear and resource intensive—prioritize risk reduction but may compromise long-term environmental and socio-economic outcomes.

This paper proposes a transformative framework that integrates artificial intelligence (AI), circular economy principles, and adaptive systems thinking to optimize remediation strategies. The approach emphasizes the development of robust conceptual site models based on available characterization data, adaptive site management as additional characterization data are obtained, and predictive risk assessment, all underpinned by AI-driven real-time data analytics and the implementation of circular lifecycle thinking. These elements support decision-making tools that foster stakeholder engagement and participatory processes, ultimately guiding sites toward sustainable end-states.

While current radiological protection frameworks offer flexibility, their application often defaults to rigid thresholds, leading to overly conservative decisions—such as unnecessary soil removal, excessive waste generation, and increased carbon footprints—even when actual health risks are minimal. A more context-sensitive, proportionate approach is needed—one that accounts for cumulative impacts, environmental justice, and intergenerational equity.

The opportunity lies in bridging technical innovation with sustainability science and policy reform. A revised framework can empower decision-makers, scientists, and practitioners to design remediation strategies that are not only technically sound but also environmentally regenerative and socially responsive. In this context, the IAEA’s collaboration with partners such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory can contribute meaningfully to the global discourse on sustainable radiological remediation, offering a roadmap for integrating digital intelligence with ecological and ethical imperatives in the management of contaminated environments.

Coauthors: Christine Gelles (Longenecker & Associates), Jennifer Turner (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories), Dawn Wellman (Rio Tinto), Karen P. Smith (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Panelists and conference participants are invited to engage in a reflection on advancing sustainability and circular economy principles.

Panelists: TBD

Facilitators: Horst Monken-Fernandes (IAEA) and Andrew Cundy (University of Southampton)