THE COMBINED DISPOSAL AND STORAGE FACILITY FOR LLW AND ILW INHIMDALEN, NORWAY: NOW IN OPERATION

摘要

In March 1999, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) gave the Institute forEnergy Technology (IFE) permission to start operation of the Himdalen facility for disposaland storage of low and intermediate level radioactive waste (LLW and ILW). Soon after thefirst transport left from the IFE’s waste treatment plant at Kjeller, 25 km away from theHimdalen facility, with a load of LLW barrels. Up till now 96 transports have been carried outand about 1000 “drum equivalents” placed in the facility for disposal.Norway does not have any nuclear power plants. The radioactive waste is generated from theoperation of the IFE’s two research reactors, IFE and other research institutes, hospitals andthe oil industry.The process to find a repository for all of Norway’s low and intermediate level waste wasstarted in 1989, by a governmental committee. The committee looked into disposal optionsand possible sites. In 1992 an impact assessment was performed for three sites and Himdalenwas the recommended site. In 1994 the Parliament decided to go on wit h further siteinvestigations at the Himdalen site but it was also decided that it should be a combineddisposal and storage facility. Some of the Plutonium bearing waste is to be stored during theoperation time of the facility. At the time of closure it will be decided either to take it out or toencase it in concrete.The facility is a “rock cavern” facility with 4 caverns accessed by a 150 m long tunnelexcavated from the crystalline rock. One of the caverns is used for storage. In each cavern aretwo sarcophaguses, each with two sections. The 210 l drums of waste will be stacked in fourlayers. After emplacing the drums will be encased in concrete to provide a new floor for thesubsequent layer. When each sarcophagus is filled there will be a concrete roof on top with awater tight sealing.Dose scenario calculations have been done for a flooded facility, and even with that situationthe doses to critical groups will not exceed the limits set by NRPA. For realistic scenarios thedose to the most exposed individual would not exceed 1 gSv/y.The facility is expected to be in operation until the year 2030. It will take care of allNorwegian LLW and ILW waste, including waste that will be generated during thedecommissioning of IFE’s nuclear facilities. The capacity of the facility is 10,000 drums (210l). The total radioactivity inventory will be approx. 570 TBq.After closure there will be an institutional control period of 300 – 500 years with monitoringand land use restrictions.