The matter in summary There is a critical need for new storage facilities for radioactive waste in Norway, but it may take over ten years before new storage facilities are in place. Several businesses have illegal waste that is stored beyond the annual delivery obligation, including hospitals and companies that have bought radioactive sources from abroad. Two types of facilities are required: Temporary storage and a permanent landfill. Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) is looking for plots of land in Halden and Aremark for the temporary storage facilities. A lack of storage for radioactive waste prevents the establishment of nuclear power plants in Norway, as waste solutions must be in place before production starts. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It will be difficult to have something that can be used until well into the 2030s, says Martin Andreasson. He is communications director at Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND), the state agency responsible for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste in Norway. Fresh nuclear report Recently, the report “Management of radioactive waste – Assessment of capacity up to the year 2100” was presented. It is clear about the challenges that man-made radioactive substances bring with them. According to the report, several businesses already have illegal waste that is stored beyond the annual delivery obligation, and which they do not get rid of. Hospitals must store equipment used in cancer treatment, companies that have bought radioactive sources from Russia or other countries cannot return it. They may have to have local temporary solutions for ten years or more, before they can use a national temporary solution. Two types of storage – There are two types of facilities needed, says Andreasson in NND. Waste must be stored temporarily, until a landfill is in place. Martin Andreasson, sector manager for communications in Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning. Photo: NND/Veronika van Groningen – We need to get started on the temporary warehouses as quickly as possible. We are looking for land in Halden and Aremark, and have cooperation agreements with the two municipalities, says Andreasson. The landfill is also about what geology says about conditions several hundred meters below ground. There, NND is so far in the process of acquiring knowledge. Prevents the establishment of nuclear power plants Lack of storage for radioactive waste is bad news for municipalities that want to establish nuclear power plants. On 31 May, the association Norske Kjernekraftkommuner was founded, with Halden’s mayor Fredrik Holm as leader. Fredrik Holm is the newly elected leader of Norwegian nuclear municipalities. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news He emphasizes that waste solutions must be in place before establishing small nuclear power plants in Norwegian municipalities. – It would be completely unrealistic to build small nuclear power plants until we have a bomb-proof solution to handle the waste that may come, says Holm. In the Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, Ingeborg Mork-Knutsen shares that opinion. – An important experience gained internationally is that you must have waste solutions in place before starting production, says Mork-Knutsen. Strict requirements Meanwhile, the Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) grants permits to businesses that must store this on their own land. They must then meet strict requirements. – For example, we have given permission to certain hospitals, which can store waste for up to three years, so that the radioactivity decays and the waste is no longer radioactive, says Ingeborg Mork-Knutsen. Ingeborg Mork-Knutsen, section leader for nuclear waste and decommissioning in DSA. Photo: DSA She heads DSA’s section for nuclear waste and decommissioning. – But there are other types of waste where the radioactivity will be active for much longer, and then we set strict requirements for shielding the waste. We have also set as a requirement that the businesses must look at other solutions. Published 10.06.2024, at 10.11 Updated 10.06.2024, at 12.31
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Nuclear waste builds up in Norway – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio
