Investigating Project Management in Nuclear Decommissioning Projects

For start in October 2018.

The majority of project management research has investigated the planning, design and delivery of construction projects, and only limited attention has been given to the end-of-life of infrastructure. Decommissioning, dismantling and removal of infrastructure refer to the end-of-life of a facility and to the process of withdrawing it from service, “clean” it and deconstructing it. More specifically, in relation to the nuclear industry, decommissioning is defined as “all the administrative and technical actions taken to allow the removal of some or all the regulatory controls from a facility […]”.

Decommissioning projects present characteristics that differentiate them from more traditional construction endeavours. These include:

there is no or little cash in-flow;
no revenue generating assets are created;
no “landmark infrastructure” is built, but instead the site is often left with “nothing” and its use remains restricted for several years;
there is no “red ribbon” to cut for politicians
jobs are often lost.
These characteristics pose severe socio-economic challenges as many of the traditional incentives to deliver projects effectively and efficiently are simply not there. Moreover, the infrastructure decommissioning is often perceived as “dull” and uninspiring projects aimed at getting rid of and dispose of infrastructure that was once valuable. The reality is dramatically different: decommissioning projects are complex projects that encompass several interrelated valuable activities, such as hazard reduction, safety and security guarantees, site remediation and restoration. Additionally, under the umbrella-term of “decommissioning”, construction projects such as the building of facilities for handling, treating and storing waste may be required. Considerable R&D may also have to be carried out to ensure that the best technologies are developed and the best solutions are implemented in decommissioning projects.

This PhD, leveraging the work previously done by the team of researchers in Leeds, will investigate the project characteristics associated to the successful delivery of decommissioning projects.