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Released January 30, 2018 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Sweden's plans to construct its first nuclear fuel repository and an encapsulation plant have taken an important step forward following positive recommendations from the country's Radiation Safety Authority (SSM).
SSM has recommended that the government grant a licence for a final repository for spent nuclear fuel near the Forsmark nuclear power plant and an encapsulation plant at the Oskarshamn nuclear plant. The projects were proposed in 2011 and are being spearheaded by state-owned SKB, Sweden's radioactive waste management company. The planned spent fuel repository at Forsmark will be located at Söderviken close to the Forsmark nuclear power plant. At 500 metres deep in solid rock, SKB will deposit approximately 12,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel in a final repository using 6,000 copper canisters. The facility will boast 60 kilometres of underground tunnels. Construction, subject to planning permission, is targeted for 2020 and will take approximately 10 years.
The planned encapsulation plant will be built next to the interim storage facility at Oskarshamn, where spent fuel will be encapsulated in copper and nodular cast iron before transport to the Spent Fuel Repository at Forsmark. SKB said that the canisters will be sealed using a special friction stir welding technique and carefully inspected using non-destructive testing methods. When the process is fully operational, the plant will be able to deliver about 200 full canisters per year to be transported to Forsmark. The combined projects will cost approximately $1.5 billion.
"The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority assesses that SKB has the potential to ensure safe management and final disposal of spent nuclear fuel so that human health and the environment are protected against harmful effects of radiation," said Ansi Gerhardsson, head of section at SSM. "There are a number of prerequisites for SSM's recommendation to approve the licence applications, such as the continued development of safety analysis reports (SARs) and management systems for these facilities in accordance with the step-wise permitting process under the Act on Nuclear Activities. This means that SKB, at several stages of an ongoing process, must submit further information and analysis to be examined and approved by SSM before the company is allowed to move on to the next step of the process."
Eva Halldén, Managing Director of SKB, welcomed the decision: "This is a milestone for SKB and an important step towards safe final disposal of the Swedish spent nuclear fuel. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is a very important authority in the licensing of our application, so this is of course a welcome decision for us. SSM's statement shows that the final repository concept we have researched and developed for almost 40 years lives up to the very high requirements on radiation safety."
Despite the approval of the SSM radiation authority, Sweden's Land and Environment Court has questioned the safety of the copper canisters and requested more information from SKB.
"SKB's assessment is solid, but there is still uncertainty about the ability of the capsule to contain the nuclear waste in the long term," the court stated. "The uncertainties relate to the extent to which the capsules can be damaged by corrosion and by processes that affect the mechanical strength of the capsule. The overall assessment shows that the uncertainty about the capability of the capsule is significant and that all uncertainties have not been taken into account in SKB's safety analysis."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
SSM has recommended that the government grant a licence for a final repository for spent nuclear fuel near the Forsmark nuclear power plant and an encapsulation plant at the Oskarshamn nuclear plant. The projects were proposed in 2011 and are being spearheaded by state-owned SKB, Sweden's radioactive waste management company. The planned spent fuel repository at Forsmark will be located at Söderviken close to the Forsmark nuclear power plant. At 500 metres deep in solid rock, SKB will deposit approximately 12,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel in a final repository using 6,000 copper canisters. The facility will boast 60 kilometres of underground tunnels. Construction, subject to planning permission, is targeted for 2020 and will take approximately 10 years.
The planned encapsulation plant will be built next to the interim storage facility at Oskarshamn, where spent fuel will be encapsulated in copper and nodular cast iron before transport to the Spent Fuel Repository at Forsmark. SKB said that the canisters will be sealed using a special friction stir welding technique and carefully inspected using non-destructive testing methods. When the process is fully operational, the plant will be able to deliver about 200 full canisters per year to be transported to Forsmark. The combined projects will cost approximately $1.5 billion.
"The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority assesses that SKB has the potential to ensure safe management and final disposal of spent nuclear fuel so that human health and the environment are protected against harmful effects of radiation," said Ansi Gerhardsson, head of section at SSM. "There are a number of prerequisites for SSM's recommendation to approve the licence applications, such as the continued development of safety analysis reports (SARs) and management systems for these facilities in accordance with the step-wise permitting process under the Act on Nuclear Activities. This means that SKB, at several stages of an ongoing process, must submit further information and analysis to be examined and approved by SSM before the company is allowed to move on to the next step of the process."
Eva Halldén, Managing Director of SKB, welcomed the decision: "This is a milestone for SKB and an important step towards safe final disposal of the Swedish spent nuclear fuel. The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is a very important authority in the licensing of our application, so this is of course a welcome decision for us. SSM's statement shows that the final repository concept we have researched and developed for almost 40 years lives up to the very high requirements on radiation safety."
Despite the approval of the SSM radiation authority, Sweden's Land and Environment Court has questioned the safety of the copper canisters and requested more information from SKB.
"SKB's assessment is solid, but there is still uncertainty about the ability of the capsule to contain the nuclear waste in the long term," the court stated. "The uncertainties relate to the extent to which the capsules can be damaged by corrosion and by processes that affect the mechanical strength of the capsule. The overall assessment shows that the uncertainty about the capability of the capsule is significant and that all uncertainties have not been taken into account in SKB's safety analysis."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
