Link to the study - European Parliament - Europa

Nuclear Decommissioning: Management of Costs and Risks
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The cost estimates are based on a sufficient understanding of the whole process. An estimate
for potential consequences of risks can be added to be aware of and better understand their
economic influence.
The role of the workforce, the psychological barriers, understanding of the tasks to be done and
the self-sufficiency should be better understood and addressed. The priority to use available
experience and knowledge can be better communicated. The training programs on technical
experience are adequate.
5.2. LITHUANIA
The following applies to Lithuania:
The national framework is incomplete in respect to the funds required for decommissioning.
The main reason for that is that during operation of the reactors no build-up of funds was
established and that this gap was not adequately filled in the years from at least 1999 23
(IAEA 1999) on until their shutdown in 2004 resp. 2009. Further external support to assist
Lithuania in filling that gap is necessary and recommendable.
The established national structures to design, control and steer the managing organisation are
weak and need urgently to be strengthened. The established national funding base still is very
weak. It should be mandatory to bear at least a considerable portion of the total costs from own
sources, so that the national interest to achieve a cost-effective decommissioning and to install a
solid and functioning management- and control-system is strong enough.
Lithuania needs to understand that it is in its own interest to have strong control structures
established to achieve optimal results and effectiveness for its own invested funds. The full
control over the management and over all its strategic decisions is necessary to be gained,
otherwise the decommissioning process as a whole is at risk. Lithuania and the EC should
establish a common understanding on those bilateral supervision and steering structures.
In respect to the managing organisation their restructuring towards decommissioning is still
underway and unfinished. Integrating the former external PMU into the managing organisation
is a consistent step should be fostered by additional integration steps to achieve that the work of
the PMU is completely under control of the management. The management should be held
completely responsible for all its operational decisions. Management then has to be fully aware
and has to evaluate all risks associated with those decisions.
In respect to project and risk management establishing the necessary changes in the planning
and management process, as well as the necessary tools, is still underway in Lithuania.
Management is aware of the necessary changes and has initiated them, but the slow
implementation process, nearly ten years after shutting down the first unit, lets expect that this
requires further acceleration. All involved parties – middle management, workforce, national
administration, the EC – should assist the management’s efforts to implement those changes.
The final structure should be well-designed and implementation targets for the staged processes
should be clearly set (e.g. less than three years).
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