The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with the Government of Bulgaria, through the State Enterprise Radioactive Waste (SERAW), organized a regional Workshop on Decommissioning of WWER Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) from 27-31 May 2013 under the regional technical cooperation project RER/9/120 "Supporting Implementation of Decommissioning for Facilities Using Radioactive Material." The project deals with decommissioning implementation aspects including advanced technologies and specific types of nuclear facilities.

The workshop focused primarily on the WWER NPP facilities, with the main objective of exchanging experience and lessons learned in planning and implementing decommissioning activities. The topics discussed covered a wide range of organizational, managerial, technical and safety aspects of decommissioning, many of them also relevant to other types of NPPs. The workshop programme attracted 25 participants from 11 countries in the European region.

The workshop took place in 2 locations, Sofia and Kozloduy. During the first part in Sofia participants presented their national perspectives and provided a general overview of plans and activities related to decommissioning of WWER NPPs. Valuable experiences obtained in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were shared providing detailed input for the discussions. The second part in Kozloduy addressed a selection of more specific technical topics and included a technical tour of the Kozloduy NPP. Participants witnessed the active decommissioning programme being implemented at Kozloduy Units 1 and 2.

The workshop participants shared experiences and lessons learned in decommissioning programmes and contributed to a better understanding of main technical, safety, and organizational challenges. Possibilities for mutual cooperation and support amongst the countries in the region were identified and communication between the organizations and individuals involved in the decommissioning of WWER NPPs was improved.