Brussels, 07/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 4 February, Commissioners Loyola de Palacio (Energy) and Philippe Busquin (Research), together with journalists and experts visited the underground research infrastructure for storing radioactive waste (EURIDICE) in Mol Belgium. A week after the adoption of two draft directives on safety and the management of nuclear waste (see EUROPE 31 January p 10), Commissioners examined the level of European research into processing highly radioactive waste. Both experts and Commissioners believe that nuclear energy is a condition for finding a reliable and sustainable solution for waste management. As Ms de Palacio explained, "accepting nuclear is linked to the problem of waster processing".
If the processing of low-level radioactive waste is "mastered" (it is stored in installations on the surface or sub-surface and is inspected until its level of radioactivity does not pose any problems - after around 300 years). High-level radioactive waste, which only represents 5% of total waste volume but 95% of radioactivity, is not "mastered". For fifty years it is stored in specially equipped buildings. According to ONDRAFF (the national organisation responsible for radioactive waste and fissile enriched materials and the CEN (centre for nuclear research in Belgium), the burying to extremely deep levels in stable geological structures (granite, salt, clay) is the safest solution that allows for enough insulation of this waster over very long periods. However, devising and building these storage areas would require decades of research at the underground laboratories (such as the one at Mol). Most Member States have developed national programmes to deal with highly radioactive waste. According to ONDRAFF, Finland and Sweden are the most advanced, with the former already having begun construction of an underground depot that should be completed by 2010. In Belgium work is ongoing, notably at Mol but the development of a storage area is not planned for another 20 years, as the choice of a site has not been made. France, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands are less advanced. These timetables are not those envisaged by the European Commission in its proposal (Member States must design storage sites by 2008 at the latest and which must be operational by 2018 for highly radioactive waste and in 2013 for low level radioactive waste). There is an absence of political initiatives and for this reason Ms de Palacio and Mr Busquin seek to encourage the development of research into the subject and explained that framework research programmes of the Community are contributing in an important way but EU spending should be around 30 times greater. Derek Taylor, Head of Unit at Directorate General Energy and Transport at the European Commission pointed out that the EU and Member States currently spend EUR 300 million a year in processing nuclear waste when if fact the figures should be EUR 500 million.
The MYRRHA project: move towards reducing radioactive life of waste
Mr Busquin explained that "If the nuclear option is a national issue, managing nuclear waste is a European issue". For this reason in November 2002, the Commissioner launched the thematic "Radioactive waste and storage network", which brings together radioactive waste organisation from 7 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and Switzerland, in order to pool their research in this area.
The 6th framework research and development programme, Euratom, with a budget of EUR 1.230 billion (EUR 750 million for research into nuclear fusing and around EUR 500 million for waste processing, protection from radioactivity and security) stresses that research on geological storage sites and research into transmutation, a technique that aims to reduce from millions of years to millions of years, the period in which highly radioactive waste remains dangerous ("their radioactive life"). In combination with storage, this technique will allow this waste to be more securely managed.
It is in this connection that the MYRRHA project is being developed by the CEN and EU. The European Commission has launched an economic and technical feasibility study in an effort to work out whether building the installation would enable MYRRHA to experiment. The costs of the operation will be between EUR 250-300 million. The project could be up-and-running by 2012. I will constitute first ever worldwide and could become a joint venture between Member States, the EU and the private sector. Mr Busquin stated that, "Myrrha could be a significant step in research into nuclear fusion".