In the event that operation comes to a halt and associated facilities such as mines, mills, and refineries are closed, efforts will be made to revert the conditions to those that existed prior to production, to the extent that is reasonable. This process involves the systematic decommissioning of equipment and facilities and the Remediation of the impacted sites.

The decommissioning process entails the careful removal of any potential radioactive contamination present on equipment and facilities, along with subsequent demolition or dismantling efforts, with an emphasis on preventing the spread of any contamination. The overarching objective is to safely eliminate Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) from the equipment and facilities, permitting release from specific regulatory oversight. Typically, decommissioning is conducted in a well-established sequence that includes the following steps:

(1) A thorough assessment of the existing radiological conditions is conducted. This involves determining the levels and types of radionuclides present at all installations and facilities. Based on this comprehensive radiological survey, tailored decontamination and dismantling plans are prepared, which must then receive approval from the relevant regulatory authorities.

(2) The next step is the effective removal of NORM contamination from the equipment and facilities using appropriate decontamination technologies.

(3) If it can be verified that all radionuclides were successfully removed, the used equipment undergoes fragmentation, and finally, the facilities are dismantled in a conventional manner.

The decommissioning activities result in the generation of both conventional waste and NORM waste, both of which must be managed appropriately throughout the process.

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