Berlin.
Bury in the ground or shoot into space? Many countries are concerned with the question of final disposal of nuclear waste. One thing is going on.
The last three go this weekend nuclear power plants off the grid in Germany. Then it’s a matter of demolishing the existing facilities and safely storing the highly radioactive nuclear waste. The fuel rods are currently in 16 interim storage facilities, a good 27,000 tons sealed in around 1900 special containers. A repository in Germany is still being sought. A suitable location should be found by 2068. Then it has to be built.
Some countries are even more behind: Belgium is considering a deep repository, as is Italy. At least the Netherlands has a timetable. Finland is particularly far – mainly because the population in repository sees an opportunity.
Also read: Nuclear power – How the power plants work and where the risks lie
Nuclear power: Fuel rods radiate for 100,000 years
The problem is the same for all countries: fuel rods that have provided energy in a nuclear power plant are radiating and therefore cannot simply be disposed of in a landfill. A warehouse for nuclear waste be. Experts estimate that it will take at least 100,000 years for radiation to drop to natural levels. It’s hard to imagine what the world would look like then. For classification: 100,000 years ago the Neanderthals were still alive and hand axes were a popular tool.
Until a repository site is found, intermediate storage takes place: in Deutschland including at the former nuclear power plants in Ahaus in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Lubmin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Gorleben in Lower Saxony, politically designated as a repository in 1977 and fiercely fought over for decades, has been ruled out as unsuitable.
Finland is leading the way: from 2024 fuel rods are to be stored underground
Finland is the first country in the world with a functioning repository. The search for it began in 1983. The state even gave municipalities the right of veto. The Finns are considered pragmatic. And they trust scientists. There were therefore no significant protests when the Eurajoki municipality on the west coast was selected in 2004. The regional politicians also agreed. The inhabitants have experience with nuclear energy, three of Finland’s five nuclear power plants are located on the island of Olkiluoto, where the repository is located.
Already the construction of the repository brought the municipality high tax income, which she cleverly invested. The population is growing, partly because Eurajoki reduced the municipal share of income tax to the lowest rate in Finland. In 2024, the repository operator Posiva wants to start encapsulating fuel rods and storing them underground. In 120 years the plant should then be filled and closed in 2100.
Sweden: The population is open to repository
For almost 50 years, the location of Östhammar, a good 100 kilometers north of Stockholm on the east coast, has been considered suitable for an underground repository. The nuclear industry in Sweden chose the location based on, among other things, whether the population is open-minded. In Östhammar it is.
Nearby is the Forsmark nuclear power plant, one of Sweden’s six plants. The community promises too jobs and tax revenue. At the end of January 2022, the Swedish government approved the site. However, environmentalists have complained. Until the competent court has decided, no construction can take place. If the environmentalists lose, it will be another ten years before the first fuel elements can be stored.
Also interesting: Radioactive Scrap – This is how a nuclear power plant is dismantled
Switzerland: A repository on the German border is being tested
In September 2022, the National Cooperative for Storage radioactive waste (Nagra) announced a repository site for Switzerland after a long examination: Nördlich Lägern directly on the border with Germany. It will be a while before the first fuel rods from the four power plants can be stored. It is examined more closely, the population and the regions involved.
The Federal Council and Parliament are to decide in 2029, after which a referendum is still possible. The facility cannot go into operation until 2050 at the earliest interim storage Würenlingen, also less than ten kilometers from the border with Germany.
Nuclear waste in France: residents fight back, environmental organizations complain
The French were early on with a site for a repository. As early as 2000, they identified the small village of Bure in eastern France, a good 150 kilometers from Saarbrücken. Two more Locations in central France were discarded. It’s been a long time since then. The residents resisted several times. Environmental organizations complained – so far without success. A pilot plant is currently being built to package fuel rods and store them in an underground tunnel system. It should be ready for launch in 2030. From 2040 onwards, the repository should then be filled regularly.
France recycles fuel rods from its nuclear power plants at the La Hague facility in Normandy and reuses the material. Nevertheless, a lot of nuclear waste accumulates. Because the country relies heavily on nuclear energy. Almost 70 percent of the electricity are supplied by the 56 reactors – when they are connected to the grid.
More about the nuclear phase-out
Great Britain: Repository under the Irish Sea?
Great Britain has also been looking for a repository site for years. Recently, a research vessel was even investigating the possibility of mooring it under the Irish Sea off the northwest coast. In 2013, the government already had a location near the UK reprocessing plant Sellafield found in the North West. The authorities also relied on a job promise for the structurally weak region.
However, the population thought little of the plans and protested so violently that the central government caved in. Municipalities can now apply. Four locations in north-west and north-east England were last checked. It is unclear whether a location will be found in the foreseeable future. The region must agree – and the Population. A repository start is planned for 2040 at the earliest. So far, three quarters of Britain’s nuclear waste is stored in Sellafield – above ground.
Shoot nuclear waste into space: is that possible?
In almost every country that operates nuclear plants, a solution for the radiant waste is discussed again and again, which no community or citizens’ initiative can object to: space. Lots of space and at some point the material may burn up in a distant sun. However, if someone guarantees that the rocket with the radiant cargo will not be in the earth atmosphere explodes is unlikely.
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