4 Life cycle approach
Strategic objective
Norway will adopt a life cycle perspective in the management of activities that pose a radiation risk. This means that solutions for decommissioning, clean-up and waste management must be included at an early stage in the assessment of the activity in order to reduce future risks, and that plans and solutions must be in place before the activity begins.
The Norwegian regulations shall cover the entire life cycle of activities that pose a radiation risk, from planning to final decommissioning, clean-up and termination of regulatory control.
Radioactive waste shall be managed in a safe, secure and responsible manner in accordance with the ‘Strategy for the Safe, Secure and Environmentally Sound Management of Radioactive Waste in Norway’. Radioactive waste shall be managed in such a way that it does not harm people or the environment, either within or beyond Norway’s borders. Radioactive waste shall be managed without placing undue burdens on future generations. Important principles in Norwegian pollution regulations, such as the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle, also apply to radioactive pollution/contamination and waste. Radioactive waste, and especially spent nuclear fuel, requires long-term solutions and shall, as a general rule, be managed at the national level.
Relevant strategies, plans and programmes
White Paper 8 (2020–2021) ‘Safe Decommissioning of Norwegian Nuclear Facilities and Disposal of Nuclear Waste’ describes the government’s strategy for decommissioning Norway’s nuclear installations and managing the resulting radioactive waste. This is Norway’s decommissioning strategy.
In 2024, the government presented the ‘Strategy for the Safe, Secure and Environmentally Sound Management of Radioactive Waste in Norway’. The strategy describes how radioactive waste, including spent fuel, shall be managed in Norway.
Norway will review the regulations relevant to the life cycle approach, including the Act on Radiation Protection and Use of Radiation and the Nuclear Energy Act and ensure that they are in accordance with the IAEA’s governing documents, including the life cycle perspective.