page 1 social aspects of decommisioning workforce redeployment for decommissioning __experiences...

Social aspects of decommisioning

Workforce redeployment for decommissioning

__Experiences from decommissioning of the Greifswald NPP

_______________________________________________

Axel Bäcker EWN GmbH

Contents of the presentation

• The NPP Greifswald– Milestones and important events in the history

– The initial situation for decommissioning

• General social problems at the beginning of the decommissioning• General measures/approaches to solve the social problems• Facts from the EWN decommissioning project

– Personnel reduction

– Privatization

– Personnel training for decommissioning tasks

View on the NPP Greifswald

NPP GreifswaldMilestones in the NPP’s history

1967: start of construction (8 WWER 440/230 units are planned)– As state collective combine “VEB Kernkraftwerke”

• The aim of the formation of a collective combine: high independence, realisation of virtually all works (operation, maintenance, qualification, research,…) by own personnel

1974 - 1879: commissioning of units 1 - 41989: commissioning of unit 5, unit 6 ready for commissioning, units 7&8

under construction (all are of more recent model WWER 440/213)

1990: German Reunification– Transformation from state combine into EWN AG (since 1991 GmbH) – With the Reunification: criticism of the safety standard– Result from safety analysis of units 1 – 4: Safety improvement is not possible

--> Final shut down in 1990– Result from safety analysis of unit 5: Safety improvement is possible

--> Due to uncertainties (cost and licensing risks, no investors) stop of Unit 5 commissioning and stop of all activities for Units 6 – 8


1991: Decision for Decommissioning of the whole plant– Because of social and economic considerations decision for immediate

(direct) removal of the installations (without any technical preparation!)– Start of preparatory works for decommissioning– --> subsequently: personnel reduction

1992: Start of construction of the Interim Storage North (ISN)– Lack of storage capacities for radwastes– limited operation licence for the existing wet spent fuel storage

1994: Application for Decommissioning 1995: Licence for Decommissioning (30 June 1995)1997: Commissioning of the Interim Storage North

2012: anticipated finalisation of the decommissioning process– Final status: “brown field”


Initial situation for decommissioning (status in 1990/91)

• “VEB Kernkraftwerke” as a state collective combine for the operation of the NPPs Rheinsberg and Greifswald, consisted of:

– NPP Greifswald (WWER 440) and NPP Rheinsberg (WWER 70)

– NPP Stendal (WWER 1000) under construction

– Final storage for radioactive waste at Morsleben (ERAM)

– Research and Development institutes at Berlin and Leipzig

• The personnel amounted to about 8000 employees in total (EWN about 5000)

• The NPPs were shut down and their decommissioning were anticipated

• The NPPs were not prepared for decommissioning

– No structure, no strategy, no preparatory planning, no infrastructure, no …

– Staff not prepared for decommissioning tasks

NPP Decommissioning and social consequencesInitial situation and consequences

Initial situation:• The production stops, the turnover reduces• The manpower requirements considerably decreases• The payment of wages for personnel becomes problematic

Consequences for the NPP:• Reduction of personnel, dismissals• Migration of the needed high qualified personnel• Decrease of working moral and productivity

Consequences for the region:• Increase of unemployment• Decrease of tax yields and less opportunities for investments

NPP Decommissioning and social consequencesProblems at the NPP

First substantial problems at the NPP:

• Decision on general (overall) strategic issues for the whole decommissioning process

• Restructuring of the company for decommissioning• Motivation of personnel, ensuring the permanent personnel level • Planning of the personnel reduction

• Ensuring the financing• Acceptance by the public


Decisions on general (overall) strategic issues at EWN

• Complete direct dismantling (i. e. no safe enclosure period)• Realization of as much as possible activities

with own personnel• No general (major) contractor• Industrial reuse of the site • Social acceptable personnel reduction

– Implementation of a retirement scheme

– Support for privatization/ outsourcing

– Education/training for

• decommissioning

• better position on the labour market

– Dismissal with economical support

Support


Planning of the personnel reduction

• Is closely connected with the overall strategic decisions

• Tools/possibilities:– Early retirement schemes

– Redundancy pay for dismissed personnel

– Short-time work

– Retraining and further qualification of personnel that is to be dismissed

– Search/acquisition of new business fields –> to use the know-how

PROBLEM: Financing, appropriate legal framework

NPP Decommissioning and social consequencesMeasures to solve the social problems

Qualification/ training of personnel

(in cooperation with regional institutions)

• for decommissioning tasks • for better chances at the labour market• privatisation, management, market economy • ...

Analysis of possibilities for privatisation

• Who? What? When? • support measures, boundary conditions, dependencies• ...

NPP Decommissioning and social consequencesApproaches for solutions

Approaches for the NPP

• “Internal”– Decision to use own personnel for decommissioning

– Support for privatization/ outsourcing

– Training of staff for decommissioning

– Inclusion of local companies in decommissioning activities

– Use of the decommissioning Know How for external projects

• “External”– Coordination with regional development strategy

– Support for industrial reuse of the site (use of existing infrastructure)

– Timely release of NPP territory for the settlement of industries

NPP Decommissioning and social consequences Facts from the EWN decommissioning project

Personnel development/changes

• Greifswald and Rheinsberg NPP total staff in 1990: ca. 5570

• Personnel development/changes in 1990 - 1994– Education for new job ca. 400– Retirement (adopted scheme) ca. 270– New employees ca. 150– privatization and departure with economic support ca. 1600– dismissal jobless ca. 1600– remaining personnel ca. 1700

1/3 of the employees remained in the company 1/3 got new jobs 1/3 got jobless or retired

________________________________________________________________________________________

• Greifswald and Rheinsberg NPP total staff today: ca. 1100

12 years

4 years


• Personnel reduction at the EWN GmbH– Blue: staff for EWN decommissioning project

– Red: additional staff for external projects

Personnel development of EWN GmbH

237 128 30

1526

10921310

5231

5564

3640

20801792

1693 1567 1502 1468 1405 1355 1200959 870 745

587370

244

-2 72 153 252 316473

625546 453

222 270

381

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013Year

Nu

mb

er

of

sta

ff

Planning


Realisation of personnel reduction (dismissal, reemployment)

1. Determination of tasks

2. Elaboration of job plans, descriptions and requirements

3. Job classification– Category A: jobs will be maintained employees will stay– Category B: jobs will be reduced reduction by social selection

– Category C: new jobs application open for all; selection based on professional

qualification, social criteria

4. Personnel selection/reduction– Selection by social criteria for comparable employees

• comparable jobs, interchangeability according to employment contract, remuneration (payment)

– Release by special regulations for early retirement, work termination contracts or dismissal

– Use of compensation payments according to a social plan

Training


Privatisation/ outsourcing

• The privatization efforts were concentrated on activities outside the nuclear operation, such as:– Building maintenance

– Catering

– Cleaning service

– Site supervision (safeguards)

– Hotel

– Educational centre and operation simulator

– Software development

• These new companies are involved (partly) in the decommissioning process as subcontractors


Personnel training for decommissioning

• Based on the actual personnel structure & qualification and the “new” requirements for decommissioning “to fill the gaps”

• Basic topics/training areas are:– General management issues,

– Qualification for operation and maintenance of new facilities and equipment,

– Qualification of personnel for decommissioning (to dismantling and demolition tasks),

– Material management (waste and other materials),

– Dosimetry, radiation safety and environmental protection,

– Quality assurance.



• Basic topics/training areas – overview on training measures

No. of staff trained in different matters

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Management issues

Operation andmaintenance

Decommissioning

Safety and environmentissues

QA and other supporttopics

All training total



• Basic topic - General management– Business administration, laws, IT-technologies and electronic data

processingNo. of staff trained in different matters

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Laws

Business administration

IT, data processing

Management issuestotal



• Basic topic - Operation and maintenance of new facilities/equipment – Operation of waste management facilities, process technologyNo. of staff trained in different matters

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Facility operation andprocess technique

Nuclearenergy/technology

Operation andmaintenance total



• Basic topic - Decommissioning and Material management– Requalification for new jobs:

• E.g. Dismantling and demolition techniques

• E.g. Handling of hazardous materials (such as asbestos)

– I&C, Electrotechnics and electronics

• E.g. for system adaptations, shut down activities, new installations

– Waste management, transport equipment and logistics

• E.g. plant internal transports and temporary storages



• Basic topic - Decommissioning and Material management– Requalification for new jobs:

• E.g. Dismantling and demolition techniques

• E.g. Handling of hazardous materials (such as asbestos)

– I&C, Electrotechnics and electronics

• E.g. for system adaptations, shut down activities, new installations

– Waste management, transport equipment and logistics

• E.g. plant internal transports and temporary storages

No. of staff trained in different matters

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Requalification

I&C Electrotechnics &electronic

Waste management

Transpor & logistics

Decommissioningtotal



• Basic topic - Radiation safety and environmental protection– Due to increased amount (scope) of work in contaminated areas

– Supporting measures for dismantling and waste management activitiesNo. of staff trained in different matters

0

50

100

150

200

250

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Radiation safety

Environmentalprotection

Safety and environmentissues total



• Basic topic - Quality assurance and other supporting training No. of staff trained in different matters

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Fisrt aid, healthphysics and others

Quality assurance

Languages

QA and other supporttopics total


Personnel training for decommissioning – Lessons learned

• Concentrated, specialized “decommissioning training” is not required• Training is (in general) a permanent ongoing and smoothly running task

• Own personnel knows best the facility and decommissioning challenges• Decommissioning works in general are not new ones – there are many

common features with “usual” maintenance

• The biggest challenges are:

– To organize and to manage the decommissioning process

– To master the new techniques and technologies (new equipment)

Thank you for your attention!

page 1 social aspects of decommisioning workforce redeployment for decommissioning __experiences...

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