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Management of Radioactive Waste in Libya: Case Study

Article  in  Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste · March 2016

DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000314

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 Management of Radioactive Waste in Libya: Case Study
Usama Elghawi 1 and Husam Shames 2

Abstract: Libya has dealt with a high number of radioactive sources since the end of the 1950s when oil exploration processes started.
Today, there are more than 125 facilities in the country tha use radioactive sources for medical applications, in the oil and gas industry, and in
educational institutions. Libya also has a research reactor, with nominal power of 10 MW, that has been operated by the Tajura Nuclear
Research Centre (TNRC) since 1983; in addition, the TNRC produces and uses a number of radioactive sources. Naturally occurring radio-
active material (NORM) is also present in Libya, and they are primarily produced from the exploration and operations within the oil and gas
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industry. To maximize the protection of the environment and human health from the detrimental effects of radioactive waste (RW) in Libya,
efforts have been made to develop and implement a sufficient and effective RW management (RWM) system. The Libyan RWM system
consists of: the Libyan national policy for RWM, legislative framework, and RWM facilities. This study will explain the Libyan system of
RWM and, moreover, evaluate the current state of RWM in the country using a strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)
analysis methodology to draw conclusions and recommendations. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)HZ.2153-5515.0000314. © 2016 American Society
of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Radioactive waste management (RWM); Libyan national policy for radioactive waste management; Sources of
radioactive waste (RW) in Libya; Tajura nuclear research centre (TNRC); Libyan storage facility for radioactive waste; Evaluation of
the current status of radioactive waste management in Libya.

Introduction is essentially the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s)

Libya had the intention to join the countries using nuclear energy
for electricity production as one alternative in an energy mix for
meeting future energy demand. Accordingly, as the first step, a re-
search organization named the Tajura Nuclear Research Centre
(TNRC) was established in 1977 and sited approximately 25 km
east of Tripoli. The Libyan government’s policy on nuclear energy
in general can be summarized with two principles: (1) promoting
the peaceful uses of nuclear energy; and (2) ensuring its safe and
secure use and storage.
The Libyan Atomic Energy Establishment (LAEE) owns a re-
search reactor, with nominal power of 10 MW, and a critical facility
(zero power reactor ∼100 W). Both are operated by the TNRC.
The TNRC includes a repository (containing many compartments
for long-term storage and one compartment for disposal) used to
receive radioactive waste (RW) resulting from the operation of
the reactor and from the production of radioisotopes, pharmaceut-
icals, and other RW in the center. This facility is also being used for
the temporary storage of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS)
or orphan sources coming from outside the TNRC. DSRS, orphan
sources, and RW from governmental facilities (e.g., hospitals,
institutions) are collected, processed, and stored under the super-
vision of the Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Division,
which is part of LAEE. The classification system used in Libya
1
Senior Scientist, Head of Radioactive Waste Management Division,
Libyan Atomic Energy Establishment, P.O. Box 397, Tripoli, Libya
(corresponding author). E-mail: U.Elghawi@aee.gov.ly
2
Researcher, Radioactive Waste Management Division, Libyan Atomic
Energy Establishment, P.O. Box 397, Tripoli, Libya. E-mail: H.Shames@
aee.gov.ly
Note. This manuscript was submitted on June 21, 2015; approved on
November 25, 2015; published online on March 2, 2016. Discussion period
open until August 2, 2016; separate discussions must be submitted for in-
dividual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and
Radioactive Waste, © ASCE, ISSN 2153-5493.
waste classification system (IAEA 2009a).
The LAEE provided clear milestones for the construction of
a new centralized storage facility, referred to as the shielded
modular above ground storage building, to be used to contain
DSRS and the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) of the research
reactor.
After illustrating the sources of RW in Libya, this paper will
study the Libyan national policy for RWM, legislative frame-
work, and RWM facilities. Nevertheless, an evaluation process
using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)
analysis methodology will be applied to the current state of
RWM in Libya.
Sources of RW in Libya
The sources of RW in the country include:
1. RW (solid and liquid) from TNRC
• From the operation of Tajura research reactor; and
• From the production of radioisotopes, radiopharmaceuticals
and other radioactive materials in TNRC (e.g., protection
cloths, gloves, shoes, filter papers).
2. DSRS
• From medical applications of radioactive sealed sources in
both diagnosis and treatment;
• From industrial applications of sealed sources in oil
exploration, nondestructive testing, and other uses;
and
• From the use of radioactive sources in education (e.g., univer-
sities and institutes) and scientific research.
3. SNF
• From the use of nuclear fuel in Tajura research reactor.
4. NORM
• Large volumes are produced annually by oil and gas industry
exploration, operation, and production.

© ASCE 04016003-1 J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste

J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003

 Libyan National Policy for RWM
Basic Principles in the Preparation of the
National Policy
The IAEA has developed a list of important information that should
be taken into account during the development of RWM policy and
strategy. Those include: (1) the estimation of existing and antici-
pated waste inventory and waste management facilities; (2) the de-
velopment of an acceptable waste classification system and
regulations; (3) the evaluation of waste characteristics and available
resources; (4) the knowledge of waste management policies and
strategies in other countries; and (5) the identification of concerned
parties (IAEA 2009b).
In addition to IAEA’s standards, guides, and instructions, Libya
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took into account different RWM policies used by several coun-
tries. Libya focused on South African policy and strategy of
RWM, which, in addition to the international principals proposed
by the IAEA, included national principals such as identification of
financial and human resources, management transparency and pub-
lic perception, nature of the waste management decision-making
process, international cooperation, and national involvement
(Department of Minerals and Energy 2005).
The following concepts define the foundations on which to
build Libyan RWM policies:
1. Responsibility for safety: The prime responsibility for safety
must rest with the person or organization responsible for facil-
ities and activities that give rise to radiation risks (ultimate re-
sponsibility for long-term safety stays with the government).
2. Role of government: An effective legal and management frame-
work for safety, including an independent and effective regula-
tory body, must be established and sustained by the government
with adequate allocation of responsibilities and a control (super-
vision) system.
3. Safety management
• Effective management of safety must be established and
sustained in facilities and activities that give rise to radiation
risks.
• To the extent possible, the highest levels of radiation safety
must be achieved.
• Measures for controlling radiation risks must ensure that no
individual bears an unacceptable risk of harm.
• People and the environment, in present and future, must be
protected against radiation risks.
• The needs of the present generation should be achieved in
such a way that it will not impose undue burdens on future
generations.
4. Justification of facilities and activities: Facilities and activities
that give rise to radiation risks must yield an overall benefit.
5. Emergency preparedness and response: Arrangements must be
made for emergency preparedness and response in case of nu-
clear or radiation incidents and accidents.
6. Transparency: Transparency regarding all aspects of RWM is
the basis for communication with the public.
7. Public participation: Decisions that may have potential health,
social, or environmental effects should be made in consultation
with those who may be affected.
8. International cooperation: Libyan organizations should take
advantage of international cooperation in developing and
improving the management of RW to the maximum extent
possible.
9. Capacity building and education: The Libyan State adopts a
policy of capacity building and education to improve the under-
standing of workers and continuously upgrade their skills in the
© ASCE 04016003-2
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003
field of safe and secure management of radioactive materials
and wastes.
Fundamental Elements of the National Policy
Safety Principles
RW generated from the peaceful uses of atomic energy and from
the various applications of radioactive sources in Libya should be
managed in accordance with international safety and security stan-
dards and in adherence to legislation, local regulations, and relevant
international treaties to which Libya is a signatory.
RWM, which includes collection, characterization, transporta-
tion, treatment, conditioning, storage, and final disposal is subject
to the regulations and requirements set by the regulatory body in
this regard, and as such is subject to regulatory, licensing, and in-
spection procedures as defined by the nuclear law.
Export/Import Policy
Local legislation and regulations prohibit exporting or importing of
RW, whatever the motives and reasons.
Waste Minimization
All users of radioactive sources or radioactive materials should
adopt a strategy of RW minimization, reuse of sources, and recy-
cling radioactive materials whenever it is technically and economi-
cally feasible.
Management of Inventory
The Nuclear Regulatory Office (NRO) is the national regulatory
authority responsible for the regulatory control of all facilities
and activities within the country, including radiation sources and
devices used in medical, industrial, and research applications as
stated in Act No. 80 for the Year 2010. NRO issues regulations,
inspects how the regulations are applied and respected, and main-
tains a register and tracks the nature, location, and properties of all
radioactive sources and waste in use at any time. The NRO is now
under the authority of the LAEE. With the assistance of waste gen-
erators, it develops and maintains a RWM inventory of current and
prospective RW, SNF, and DSRS (describing their location and
physical, chemical, and radiological properties).
Liabilities for RWM
The safe management and security of RW, SNF, and DSRS is the
prime responsibility of the generator of such waste or the owner of
the sources. It includes also the obligation of the owners of radio-
active sources or the generators of RW to bear the expenses and
financial cost for the management of these sources and waste.
Ultimate responsibility for ensuring the long term safety of RWM
rests with the Libyan State. This responsibility is implemented
through the LAEE.
Resources
The Libyan State has taken on the cost of storing orphan sources
and ownerless waste that cannot be traced to the place of origin and
the cost for storage of spent fuel produced at the TNRC. However,
the cost of repatriation of sealed radioactive sources is the respon-
sibility of the organization utilizing the source.
With respect to naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)
waste resulting from oil and gas exploration and production, the
producers are responsible for covering the costs of processing of the
waste according to the strategy adopted by the Libyan State.
Endpoint for RWM
For those RWs that are not repatriated, recycled, or decayed to
exemption or clearance levels, they are currently stored in the RW
storage of the TNRC; they will also be located in the new proposed
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste
 central storage facility when it is ready for operation. Permanent
disposal in a suitably authorized facility for this class of waste will
have to wait until a decision is made by the appropriate authority.
Short-lived medical waste and DSRS will preferably be allowed
to decay to reach the established exemption or clearance levels and
then managed as non-RW.
NORM waste will be managed by its owner (who also bears all
relevant costs) according to requirements and under the supervision
of the NRO.
The waste generated by the TNRC is stored at the facility pre-
pared to receive and store RW at the research center. The central
storage facility will be used to store DSRS, orphan sources,
and NSF.
Capacity of the new storage facility will be sufficient to accom-
modate and keep 50 to 60 years of production of RW in Libya.
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Legislative Framework
Legislation aims to develop a legal and administrative framework to
monitor the safety and security of all facilities and radioactive nu-
clear activities and ensure effective regulatory control to protect
individuals, society, and the environment from the dangers arising
from exposure to ionizing radiation.
International Treaties and Conventions
The legislative framework and the national laws are largely on the
basis of the international treaties and conventions that have been
signed by the Libyan State. Key among these conventions and trea-
ties are (IAEA 2015):
• Nonproliferation treaty (NPT),
• Convention on the physical protection of nuclear material,
• Convention on nuclear safety,
• Safeguards agreements between the agency and the states re-
quired in connection with the treaty on the nonproliferation
of nuclear weapons,
• Convention on early notification of a nuclear accident,
• Convention on assistance in the case of a nuclear accident or
radiological emergency,
• Basel convention on the control of trans boundary movements
of hazardous wastes and in cross-border disposal, and
• Treaty of London in the prevention of marine pollution.
National Laws
The following are the national laws that regulate the use of ionizing
radiation in the State of Libya:
1. Act No. 2, 1982, aims to regulate the use of ionizing radiation
and the prevention of its dangerous effects.
• The law identified requirements and procedures for the use
of radioactive sources and ionizing radiation.
• It did not address the security aspects and the physical pro-
tection of nuclear material and RW.
2. Act No. 4, 2005, aims to regulate transportation of dangerous
materials on the national roads.
• The law identified requirements and procedures for transpor-
tation of dangerous materials on national roads.
• This act classifies dangerous materials into eight classes,
in accordance to the international classification shown in
Table 1.
3. Act No. 15, 2007, for environmental protection and
improvement.
• The law identified requirements and procedures for the pro-
tection of the environment from polluting materials.
© ASCE 04016003-3
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003
Table 1. Classification of Dangerous Materials
Group number Material description
1 Explosive materials
2 Compressed gases
3 Inflammable liquids
4 Inflammable solids
5 Oxidizing substances
6 Toxic and substances and irritants
7 Radioactive material
8 Corrosive materials
Draft Libyan Nuclear Law
To achieve high levels of nuclear safety and radiation protection
and the provision of suitable physical protection for nuclear mate-
rials and facilities, a Libyan nuclear law has been drafted that
complies with the highest international standards and includes the
relevant Libyan regulations.
The law consists of the following articles:
• General provisions;
• The nuclear regulatory authority;
• The regulatory system;
• Nuclear and radiation safety;
• Nuclear security and safeguards;
• Emergency preparedness and response;
• Licenses for installations, facilities, and decommissioning;
• Import, export, and transport;
• RW and spent nuclear fuel;
• Civil liability and penalties; and
• Final provisions.
RWM Facilities
Current Facility Used for Processing and
Disposal of RW
RWM Technology at TNRC
In 1977, a contract was signed between LAEE and ATOM-
ENERGOEXPORT, of the Soviet Union, to build a center for
nuclear research at Tajura, which would serve as the nucleus for
nuclear research in peaceful areas of application of atomic energy
and the production of radioisotopes. In 1980, a critical facility
(∼100 W) was commissioned, although the research reactor of
10 MW was commissioned in 1983. The research center also in-
cluded radiochemical laboratories, a neutron generator, material
science laboratories, a Tokomak unit (which is one of several types
of magnetic confinement devices, and is one of the most-researched
candidates for producing controlled thermonuclear fusion power),
and a waste repository.
In the TNRC, equipment and facilities are available for reducing
the quantity of raw waste by various appropriate treatment tech-
niques. To isolate the waste, a conditioning process is applied and
the packages obtained by that process are transferred into the reposi-
tory facility. All pieces of equipment and installations are designed
and operated with the aim to protect the staff, the community, and
the environment from unacceptable exposure to ionizing radiation.
The following types of operations concerning RW collection,
processing, storage, and disposal are carried out at TNRC:
• Collection of short-lived, high-level liquid waste; preferably,
these wastes are then allowed to decay to reach the established
exemption or clearance levels.
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste
 • Collection of long-lived, high-level liquid wastes (fission
fragments received during production of molybdenum and
technetium); this liquid waste is neutralized in the radioche-
mical department and transported in containers to the RW
processing building for solidification by the bituminizing
method.
• Collection of low level liquid wastes; these liquids are usually
pumped to the RW treatment building for special treatment.
• Ion-exchange treatment and evaporation of low-level liquid
waste is performed to reduce their levels of radioactivity.
• Low-level liquid waste accumulated from the radiochemical de-
partment, RW treatment building, and RW processing building
are averaged and solidified by means of fixation in cement at the
repository.
• High-level solidified waste and low-level pressed waste from the
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RW processing building are disposed of in the repository.
RW Processing Building
Purpose and Components
The RW processing building houses the following methods of RW
processing: fixation of high-level liquid waste received from the
reactor and the radiochemistry department in bitumen before
disposal; and pressing the low-level solid waste received from dif-
ferent departments before storage.
Waste Treatment Technology and Process
High-level liquid waste is solidified by fixation in bitumen, the
bituminization plant is installed in a special hot cell. The operated
hot cell in this building is equipped with a viewing system, manip-
ulators, remote control system, bituminization device, and exhaust
ventilation system with gas cleaning filters.
High-level liquid waste is delivered in 5-L vessels within a
shielded container. A bridge crane with a 5-t capacity is employed
for unloading containers into the hot cell. The wastes are dis-
charged from the vessels into a special device for bituminization.
The bituminous mass is loaded into metal drums and hard-
ened. The drums are encased in containers (designed for deliv-
ering the liquid wastes for bituminization) and then transported
for disposal.
RW Repository
Purpose and Components
The RW repository is designed for disposal of solid and solidified
liquid RW, and storage of low-level solid waste; it is housed in a
54 × 12-m building. The facility consists of a sunken waterproof
concrete block, covered with removable concrete slabs or shielding
hatches to protect the repository from rainfall and wind, and is
equipped with a 5-t crane. The repository contains 16 compart-
ments with a storage capacity of 2,640 m3 .
Technology of Waste Storage and Disposal
Low-level solid waste is packed at the locations in which they are
collected and put in plastic packages or craft paper bags, which are
placed into polyethylene tanks and transported to the repository.
The waste in bags is removed from the containers and discharged
into compartments with shielding concrete slabs.
Low-level liquid waste of neutral composition is conveyed from
RW treatment for disposal by special vehicle further from the
RW processing building through piping to a collection tank com-
partment. Liquid waste from the collection tank is pumped to the
© ASCE 04016003-4
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003
cementation plant, where liquid RW is mixed with cement and
poured into the disposal compartment.
High-level solid waste from the reactor and radiochemical de-
partment and bituminized blocks (high level liquid waste) from the
RW processing building is transferred in special shielded containers
transported by a special vehicle, and the waste is discharged to the
compartment, with the help of a special disengagement device, and
covered by cement.
Project of the National Libyan Storage
Facility for RW
Libya has started a project to build a centralized storage facility for
RW with the help of GRS Company in Germany, as a bilateral
agreement. The project started in 2012, with a planned completion
date of approximately 2014. Because of unforeseen national events,
the project completion has been delayed. The main steps of the
project are:
1. Sitting and preliminary design,
2. Detailed design,
3. Construction and commissioning,
4. Operation, and
5. Shutdown and decommissioning.
Only the sitting and preliminary design has been completed at
this time. The next steps will be to produce the detailed design and
obtain approvals before construction start-up.
Project Motivations
A number of factors drive the demand for completion of the
National Libyan Storage Facility for RW, key among these being:
• There is no storage facility for DSRS and orphan sources in
Libya at present.
• The currently-used repository facility does not meet the require-
ments of the Libyan policy and strategy for RWM. In addition, it
was not designed to manage DSRS and SNF.
• A completed RW storage facility in Libya is vital to implement-
ing the Libyan policy and strategy for RWM.
• The valuable amount of DSRS and orphan sources need to be
collected, conditioned, and stored.
Project Objectives
The main goal of the project is to create a national (centralized)
storage facility for RW in the country that features the following:
• Optimized radiation protection to human health and the
environment.
• Using the best practicable and economically feasible technolo-
gies for processing and storing of RW.
• The acceptance of the regulatory body.
• Initial capacity sufficient for projected waste streams for the
next 50 to 60 years.
• Sitting sufficient to enable expansion of facility footprint and
capacity over time.
Facility General Description
Waste Description
It is anticipated that the main amounts and types of RW that would
need to be stored at the facility are
• Approximately 3,000 orphan and DSRS sources, primarily
Category 3–5, will be collected during the life of the facility
and should be conditioned and stored in drums.
• Spent fuel assembly used by the TNRC reactor. There are 54
fuel assemblies that would need to be stored by the end of life
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste
 use, to be placed in two casks of 36 fuel assembly capacity,
probably SKODA VPVR/M casks.
Site Characteristics
The site of the national storage facility will be inside the walls of
the TNRC. It is felt that this sitting would best ensure the safety
and security of the new storage facility. The site of the TNRC has
been previously investigated with respect to such factors as earth-
quakes and surface faulting, extreme meteorological events, and
flooding geotechnical hazards. The potential for aircraft crashes
has been reduced by the imposition of a no-fly zone over the
TNRC. The system of security and management that has been in
place at the TNRC has resulted in no significant security breaches
or accidents.
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Design Optimization
The centralized storage facility design was based primarily on:
• Characteristics of the national inventory.
• The safety principles defined for the management of RW.
• The estimated operational life time.
• Assumed normal and accident operational conditions.
• Fulfilling design considerations, characteristics, and require-
ments recommended by the IAEA for RW storage facilities.
IAEA (1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006b).
Design Safety Requirements
Design safety included meeting the following requirements:
• Fulfilling the fundamental related safety measures on the basis
of IAEA safety standards, specifically: avoidance of criticality,
elimination of heat, radiation protection, confinement of radio-
active material, and retrieval of waste (IAEA 2006a, b, 2008a, b,
2009e, d, 2010).
• Including passive safety features as far as practically feasible on
the basis of IAEA safety standards (IAEA 2009c).
• Using proper materials on the basis of appropriate standards
(IAEA 2006b, 2010).
• Establishing operational limits and conditions (OLCs) (IAEA
2008a, e, c).
• Considering all relevant postulated initiating events (PIEs)
(IAEA 2006b, 2008a, 2009e, c, 2010).
• Fulfilling the handling and retrieval safety requirements (IAEA
2006b, 2008b, 2009e, 2010).
Design Concept
The storage facility will be designed to withstand an outside
temperature between 0 and þ50°C, humidity up to 100% with
sea salt, and desert storms with maximum wind speed of up to
140 km=h.
The selected type of RW storage facility is shielded modular
above ground. This design is typical to store low-level nuclear waste
because it facilitates RWM, can be readily expanded, and storage
of RW above ground maximizes protection of the environment.
The storage facility will contain an incineration plant for the
treatment of burnable RW, a high force compactor for nonburnable
material, and a hot cell for conditioning of sources. Other systems
in the facility will include lighting, ventilation, fire detection, and
an electrical power supply.
The primarily used material to build the storage facility will be
concrete, with the walls and the roof designed to have sufficient
thickness to guarantee radiation shielding, with design such that
shielding is to be applied even in the corners. The floor will be de-
signed to have two layers, the first one a concrete slab and the sec-
ond layer a membrane placed under the floor slab to serve as a
secondary barrier against any moisture that may condense under
or seep through the floor of the store to the outside ground.
© ASCE 04016003-5
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003
Evaluation of the Current State of RWM in Libya
Evaluation Methodology
SWOT analysis is an estimation processes of strengths, weak-
nesses, opportunities, and threats; it is used as a planning technique
for judging the current state and taking the right actions now and
in the future. A SWOT analysis can be performed for an industry,
sector, organization, or person. Building a SWOT matrix is the
main step in SWOT analysis, followed by studying and discussing
it to draw up a plan. The SWOT matrix consists of
• Strengths: internal characteristics of the project that make it
better than others;
• Weaknesses: internal characteristics that make the project
weaker when comparing it with others;
• Opportunities: external elements that support the project to
reach its goals; and
• Threats: external elements that act as obstacles to the project.
After building the SWOT matrix, the planning process should
be applied, taking into consideration how to build on strengths, re-
solve and/or minimize weaknesses, exploit and seize opportunities,
and counteract and/or avoid threats.
Performing of SWOT Analysis
Building a SWOT matrix has been accomplished and abbreviated
in Table 2.
Results and Discussions
It is clear that the strengths defined in the SWOT analysis are suf-
ficiently robust to build on and improve the RWM system and ac-
tivities in Libya. All the entities having a role in the safe use and
management of radioactive materials and wastes in Libya worked
together and evaluated the current state of RWM in the country,
optimized the related activities, and came out with the Libyan pol-
icy and strategy of RWM and the draft of the Libyan nuclear law.
The strengths of the RWM sector in Libya will lead to proper RWM
policy and strategy to be implemented in the future.
The weaknesses showed that the lack of professional staffing
and the nonexistence of a centralized RW storage facility are the
main obstacles for managing the huge amounts of NORM and other
orphan and DSRS sources that must be collected, conditioned, and
stored or placed in disposal. Poor experience in RWM, together
with the weakness of the human resources programs, are directly
and deeply affecting the applying plans of the Libyan policy and
strategy of RWM.
The unstable political situation is the main threat facing RWM
in Libya at the moment. Immense efforts (nationally and interna-
tionally) are being made and ongoing to overcome this situation as
soon as possible. This unstable situation further complicates the
processes of alerting the government and the public about the neg-
ative effects that inadequate RWM may cause on the environment,
public health, and society in the future, while, at the same time,
delays the implementation of the draft nuclear Libyan law.
The existing opportunities can be considered as great advan-
tages that will enable the RWM in Libya to be developed and en-
sure its quality outcomes. The high priority of RWM subject to the
nation’s safety, security, safeguard, environment, and human health
now and for the future, together with the current favorable eco-
nomic situation of the country, will enable Libya to quickly and
efficiently manage its RW. The support of the IAEA and bilateral
agreement are the primary tools that promote the Libyan abilities
of RWM, especially with the dramatic developments in RWM
J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste
 Table 2. SWOT Matrix for Radioactive Waste Management in Libya
Number Strengths
1 The existence of proper
governmental bodies that
control RWM in the
country: the Libyan Atomic
Energy Establishment,
Radioactive waste
management division (as
operator of RWM), policy
makers and the Nuclear
Regulatory Office (as
regulatory)
2 The gained experience of
more than 35 years in the
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Weaknesses
Poor experience in RWM,
especially conditioning and
storage of DSRS and orphan
sources and how to deal with
NORM
The low number of
professional people in RWM
Opportunities
Very high priority subject to
the nation’s safety, security,
safeguard, environment, and
human health now and for
the future
The current good economic
situation of the country
Threats and challenges
The low awareness of the
government and public of
the negative effects that bad
RWM may cause on the
environmental, public
health, and society in the
future
The unstable political
situation

field of atomic energy in the division

country
3 The existence of the TNRC
with its processing and
disposal facilities
4 The existence of Libyan
policy and strategy about
RWM
5 —
Weak programs of human
resources
Huge amounts of NORM
and available number of
orphan and DSRS sources
need to be collected,
conditioned, and stored
No centralized RW storage
facility RW
The support of IAEA The absence of applied
presented in technical Libyan nuclear law
cooperation (TC) projects
related to RWM
The dramatic developments —
in RWM technologies
— —

technologies, which can be considered also as an enormous oppor-
tunity to improve RWM in Libya.
This SWOT analysis showed that there is an appropriate envi-
ronment for RWM division in Libya to be developed and practiced
in very effective manner. The existiance of the proper RWM bodies
in the country with an acceptable level of experience with an ap-
plied policy and strategy of RWM will enable the country to over-
come all the weaknesses and sufficiently use the opportunities for
extraordinary enhancement of a RWM system and practices in
Libya. This SWOT analysis also recognizes that the unstable politi-
cal situation of the country is the core obstruction to the develop-
ment and implementation of effective RWM in Libya. Moreover,
the lack of professional staffing in the RWM field, together with
weak programs of human resources, is also a significant barrier that
will affect the development of RWM in the country.
Conclusion
• The major sources of RW in Libya are DSRS, orphan sources,
RW (solid, liquid, and nuclear spent fuel) from the TNRC, and
NORM from the exploration and operation of the oil and gas
industry. The used classifications system of RW in Libya is
the IAEA system.
• Libya had developed a national policy for RWM and improved
its related legislative framework with the RWM facilities.
• The currently used facilities for long-term storage of RW in
Libya were designed in the last century to cover only the needs
of the TNRC; therefore, Libya started a centralized storage fa-
cility project for DSRS, orphan sources, and nuclear spent fuel
of the TNRC.
• Evaluation of the current state of RWM in Libya has been
practiced using SWOT analysis; this evaluation process showed
that there is a suitable atmosphere for the RWM sector in Libya
to be promoted and practiced in very successful approach.
The existance of the proper RWM bodies, with an applied policy
and strategy of RWM, will enable the country to overcome all
the weaknesses and adequately use the opportunities for sustain-
able development of the RWM system and practices in Libya.
It is also clearly expressed in this SWOT analysis that the un-
stable political situation of the country is the core obstruction of
the RWM to be developed and practiced. Moreover, the lack
of professional staffing in the RWM field is also absolutely a
barrier that will affect the promotion of RWM in the country.
Recommendations
• Evaluating the RWM in Libya is a vital issue that should be
always practiced to ensure its best performance and sustain-
ability.
• Because of the high sensitivity of RWM to the nation’s security
and health, the level of awareness of the government and public
should be maximized, the Libyan nuclear law should be applied,
and a centralized storage facility should be built as soon as
possible.
• Creating enough professional staffing in the field of RWM
should be performed with the help of the IAEA.
• Capacity building should be practiced in a sustainable manner to
always gain up-to-date knowledge about the dramatic develop-
ments in RWM technologies.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their thanks to the Libyan stand-
ing committee for the development of the national policy and strat-
egy for safe management of RW and for using part of the document
in the this article (the corresponding author is a member of the com-
mittee as well). The help of IAEA and their experts through the
INT/9/176 project is also highly appreciated.

© ASCE 04016003-6 J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste

J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste, 2016, 20(3): 04016003

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