Brussels, 03/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - As it is of the opinion that the temporary nuclear waste management structures currently in place in the member states are too vulnerable, since they consist of surface installations, the European Commission has proposed a common framework for the final storage of radioactive waste, by burying it deep underground, using systems with higher safety standards to respond to international requirements.
On Wednesday 3 November, the European Commission tabled a proposed directive laying down common safety standards for the storage of waste fuel from nuclear power stations and radioactive waste from the medicine and research sectors. This draft framework, which is legally binding at EU level, is based on two planks.
First of all, it provides an obligation on each member state to present, within four years of the adoption of the directive, a national final storage planning programme indicating the timetable, site and details for the construction and management of the final waste centres, the costs and funding. The national programmes must be notified and the Commission may ask the member states to make changes to their plans.
The storage must be carried out under common standards corresponding to the toughest international security standards, developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for all stages of waste fuel and radioactive waste management, right the way through to their final storage. The application of these standards must be verified by independent authorities, which will issue permits to build storage centres, and will be responsible for the safety analyses for each centre.
The text on the table also provides the possibility for two or more member states to agree to use a storage centre on the soil of just one of them. It also envisages a ban on exporting nuclear waste to third countries for their final storage. Lastly, the population must be kept informed by the member states and involved in the decision-making process for waste management.
“Safety concerns all citizens and all EU countries, whether they are in favour of or against nuclear energy. We have to make sure that we have the highest safety standards in the world to protect our citizen, our water and the ground against nuclear contamination. Safety is indivisible. If an accident happens in one country, it can have devastating effects also in others”, Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger told the press. He will ask all the governments of the EU to commit to binding national programmes, including plans to build storage depots buried at least 300 meters below ground. The European executive is planning to adopt its proposal in 2011, with a view to the national plans being submitted to it in 2015. As the proposed text is based on the Euratom Treaty, the European Parliament is entitled only to a consultative opinion.
The 7,000 m3 of non-recyclable waste produced every year by the 143 reactors in 14 member states are mostly placed into temporary storage centres. As most of them are located on the surface, these centres are vulnerable in the event of a disaster or accident such as an earthquake, fire, or aviation accident. A broad consensus exists within the scientific community in favour of deep geological disposal, the best solution for the long-term storage of highly radioactive waste, which could remain harmful for nearly a million years. (E.H./transl.fl)