IAEA-WATRP REVIEW OF THE NORWEGIAN COMBINED STORAGE AND DISPOSAL FACILITY FOR LLW AND ILW

摘要

The process of selecting a site for the disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste in Norway has been under way since 1989, when a committee was appointed for the purpose. In 1992, the Directorate of Public Construction and Property (Statsbygg) prepared its impact assessment for a repository for Norway's low and intermediate level radioactive waste in accordance with the Planning and Building Act. Three sites were evaluated. The steering committee recommended Himdalen, near the Kjeller waste conditioning plant, as the preferred site. On the basis of that recommendation, the Storting (Parliament) decided in April 1994 that a combined storage and disposal facility should be built in Himdalen. The Storting recommended, however, that a review of the proposed facility should be made within the Waste Management Assessment and Technical Review Programme (WATRP) of the IAEA before a construction licence could be granted. In December 1994 the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) requested a WATRP review from the IAEA. The scope included review of the legal framework, long term safety and the site selection process. The review team consisted of five members with A. Zurkinden (Switzerland) as the chairperson. In September 1995 the team and IAEA representatives met with Norwegian experts in Oslo and visited the Himdalen site. The chairperson presented the team's conclusions and recommendations at a press conference on the last day of the meeting. Within the scope of the review, the team believes that Himdalen, with the technical concept, is a suitable site. The NRPA is handling the application for the construction licence, and in this work it is valuable to have the review report as a 'checklist'. The builder (Statsbygg) has also used the recommendations of the team when making the final design and safety reports. The combined storage and disposal facility is to be constructed in a hard rock formation about 50 m below the surface. The facility will be accessible through a slightly inclining tunnel. Some Pu bearing waste will be stored in a separate chamber in the facility. Before the year 2030, and on the basis of the knowledge and experience gained during the operational phase, it will be decided whether to transform the storage facility for the Pu bearing waste into a repository or to retrieve this waste.