Guidance

Acronyms and abbreviations in radioactive waste management

Published 17 May 2018

The radioactive waste management industry uses many acronyms and abbreviations. This list provides definitions of the most commonly used.

List of acronyms and abbreviations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

AGR Advanced gas cooled reactor (A type of reactor with a graphite core, and Uranium oxide fuel in steel cladding with a graphite sleeve).
AoS Appraisal of Sustainability

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B

BEIS Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
BSS Basic Safety Standards Directive (2013/59/EURATOM)

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C

CEO Chief Executive Officer
CNS Capenhurst Nuclear Services
CoRWM Committee on Radioactive Waste Management
CRWG Community Representation Working Group

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D

DCA Delivery Confidence Assessment
DECC Department of Energy and Climate Change
DESY Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
DFR Dounreay Fast Reactor
DNLEU Depleted, natural and low-enrichment uranium
DRP Direct Research Portfolio

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E

EA Environment Agency (England’s Environmental Regulator)
EIA Environmental Impact Assessment

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F

FHP Fuel Handling Plant

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G

GDPB Geological Disposal Programme Board
GDF Geological disposal facility
GDS Government Decontamination Service
gDSSC generic Disposal System Safety Case

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H

HASS High-Activity Sealed Radioactive Sources Directive (2003/122/EURATOM)
HAW Higher Activity Waste
HAW-IS HAW Implementation Strategy
HEU Highly Enriched Uranium
HM Heavy metals
HMT His Majesty’s Treasury
HRA Habitats Regulations Assessment

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I

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
IEA Institute of Environmental Assessment
IEMA Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
IGD Implementing Geological Disposal
IPA Infrastructure Projects Authority
ILW Intermediate level waste
INLA International Nuclear Law Association

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J

JAEA Japan Atomic Energy Agency

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L

LoC Letter of Compliance (previously Letter of Comfort)
LLW Low Level Waste
LTP Life Time Plan
LWR Light Water Reactor

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M

MDU Magnox Depleted Uranium
MOD Ministry of Defence
MOP Magnox Operating Programme
MOX Mixed Oxide Fuel

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N

NDA Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
NDARB NDA Research Board
NEA Nuclear Energy Agency of OECD
NERC Natural Environment Research Council
NGS National Geological Screening
NIEA Northern Ireland Environment Agency
NIRAB Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board
NIRO Nuclear Innovation and Research Office
NPS National Policy Statement (particularly BEIS’s National Policy Statement on geological disposal infrastructure)
NSD Near Surface Disposal
NSNS Near Site Near Surface Storage policy in Scotland
NRW Natural Resources Wales (Welsh Environmental Regulator)
NWDRF Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning Research Forum (a group convened by NDA)

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O

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
ONR Office for Nuclear Regulation (the regulator of safety, security and safeguards at nuclear facilities and transport of radioactive materials)
ORR Organisational Readiness Review

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P

PBC Programme Business Case
PCM Plutonium Contaminated Material
PSE Public and stakeholder engagement
Pu Plutonium

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R

RATE Radioactivity and the Environment (a NERC research programme)
R&D Research and development
RRP Readiness Review Panel
RW Radioactive Waste
RWM Radioactive Waste Management Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the NDA charged with delivering Geological Disposal, created on 1 April 2014.

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S

SEPA Scottish Environment Protection Agency
SGHWR Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor
SKB Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company)
SLC Site licence company (a company that runs an NDA site, under contract to the NDA, and holds the nuclear site licence)
SNS Scottish Nuclear Sites meetings, hosted and chaired by Scottish Government
SNSC Scottish Nuclear Supply Chain
SPRS Sellafield Product and Residues Store
SRO Senior Responsible Owner or Officer

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T

TAP Technical Advisory Panel
THORP Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
TPEVM Third-Party Expert View Mechanism
TR&S THORP Receipt and Storage

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U

U Uranium

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V

VLLW Very low level radioactive waste

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W

WWC Working with communities
WIPP Waste Isolation Pilot Project
WNA World Nuclear Association

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