No full size reactors has yet been fully dismantled anywhere in the world. Although some countries are planning to remove the entire structure, including the radioactive parts, leaving a flat empty space, others have suggested leaving the building where it stands, covering it in concrete or possibly burying it under a mound of earth.

The cost of decommissioning nuclear power reactors is highly speculative. Cost estimates have been derived from generic studies, from scaling up the costs of decommissioning smaller research facilities. The detail and sophistication employed in developing these estimates varies greatly and their lack of standardisation makes comparisons difficult. Moreover, limited decommissioning experience - none with large reactors - makes it impossible to know if the estimates are on target, but it has been suggested that decommissioning costs could be up to 100% of the initial cost of construction.