European Commission proposes safety standards for nuclear waste disposal

European Commission proposes safety standards for nuclear waste disposal

2010-11-04 08:11:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Commission on Wednesday proposed Member States safety standards for the final disposal of fuel spent and radioactive waste from nuclear power plants in order to avoid risks and accidents.

Member States were asked to present national programs where it is specified where, when and how they plan to construct and manage final repositories to avoid nuclear disasters and ensure the highest safety standards.

"Safety concerns all citizens and all EU countries, whether they are in favor or against nuclear energy. We have to make sure that we have the highest safety standards in the world to protect our citizen, our water and the ground against nuclear contamination," said Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger. "Safety is indivisible. If an accident happens in one country, it can have devastating effects also in others."

The Commission proposed to establish an EU legally binding and enforceable framework to ensure that all Member States will adopt the common standards developed in context of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the disposal process of nuclear waste.

The Directive establishes that two or more Member States can use a final repository in one of them, but it is not allowed to export nuclear waste to other countries outside the European Union. Citizens have to informed about their country's plans on nuclear waste management.

In addition, the programs that must be submitted within four years of the adoption of the directive, must include construction plans for the repository, time table for the construction, cost assessments and financing schemes.

Europe does not have one single final repository despite that the first nuclear power plant began operations over 50 years ago. Each year, 7,000 cubic meters of high level waste are produced in the EU and are kept in interim storages increasing danger of accidents.

High level waste is the part of reprocessed spent fuel which cannot be re-used and has therefore to be disposed forever. Out of 27 Member States, 14 Member States have nuclear power plants.

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