The general objective of this study is to analyse and benchmark the national radioactive waste and spent fuel inventories of the EU Member States, including the approaches used by Member States for their development.

Achieving assurance of the adequacy and quality of the national inventories for spent fuel and radioactive waste will provide confidence in the stakeholders and decision makers on the cost estimations, concepts and plans for long-term management of these materials, as well as in the overall national programmes for management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, as required by Article 12(1) of the Directive.

This analysis aims to cover all Member States, with priority to Member States with nuclear programmes, due to the quantities and associated radiological hazards of the spent fuel and radioactive waste.

The general objective of this study is to analyse and benchmark the national radioactive waste and spent fuel inventories of the EU Member States, including the approaches used by Member States for their development.

Achieving assurance of the adequacy and quality of the national inventories for spent fuel and radioactive waste will provide confidence in the stakeholders and decision makers on the cost estimations, concepts and plans for long-term management of these materials, as well as in the overall national programmes for management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, as required by Article 12(1) of the Directive.

This analysis aims to cover all Member States, with priority to Member States with nuclear programmes, due to the quantities and associated radiological hazards of the spent fuel and radioactive waste.

The study shall analyse:

— at Member States level — the national inventories' data quality, completeness and accuracy of methods for data collection, tools and standards employed for data management, estimation methodologies, tools/methods for future inventories estimations and identification/treatment of uncertainties,

— at EU level — common aspects with respect to radioactive waste classification, good examples and challenges with respect to the collection, and management of data, as well as estimation of current and future inventories, including identification and treatment of uncertainties.

The study's scope shall cover both spent fuel (from all sources) and radioactive waste from nuclear and non-nuclear applications (incl. orphan sources and NORM waste that are declared as radioactive waste by the Member State concerned). All sources of radioactive waste and spent fuel will be covered, including waste from operation, decommissioning and remediation of contaminated facilities and sites, as well as future returns of radioactive waste from spent fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste processing abroad.

Specific attention shall be paid to:

— the various national requirements for national inventories,

— radioactive waste classification schemes, their correspondence to the IAEA classification (see safety guide No GSG-1) and their application in practice,

— methodology and tools to establish the current inventories and future estimates corresponding to the time-frames of the national programme for spent fuel and radioactive waste management (data collected and used — e.g. waste characteristics and location),

— comprehensiveness of national inventories (e.g. identification of gaps in inventory reporting) and approach(es) to review and update of the national inventories.

The study shall cover current national inventories (2013 and 2016), future estimates (up to the latest available period) and any available information for intermediate steps (e.g. 2020, 2030 or other reference date) until the end of the national programme in force in the country.

The work of the contractor shall take into account all relevant national and international information on national inventories, in particular:

— national programmes on spent fuel and radioactive waste as per Article 13 and national reports of Member States on implementation of the Directive as per Article 14(1) of the Directive,

— the report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on progress of implementation of Council Directive 2011/70/Euratom (COM(2017)236) and an inventory of radioactive waste and spent fuel present in the Community's territory and the future prospects (SWD(2017)161),

— the available Member States reports under Article 32 of the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management (5th and 6th review meetings),

— any other relevant information on national inventories available to the Commission (DG ENER.D).