New Repository for Low- and Intermediate-Level Short-Lived Radioactive Waste to Be Constructed in Poland
The Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland is looking for municipalities interested to participate in siting for a new surface repository for low- and intermediate-level short-lived radioactive waste. The national radioactive waste repository in the town of Różan has been operated since 1961.
The new facility will be dedicated exclusively to the storage of low- and intermediate-level waste and radioactive sources of nuclear engineering, industry, medicine and research and development in Poland. It will not accept high-level waste or spent nuclear fuel, which requires the construction of an underground storage facility with completely different characteristics and in a different location.
During the construction of the new storage facility, the experience gained during the operation of the operating national repository in Różan will be used, and the El Cabril storage facility in Spain and the Center Stockage de l’Aube in France have been chosen as examples to follow. The investor and operator of the storage facility will be the state utility company Zakład Unieszkodliwiana Odpadów Radiootworniczych.
Preference will be given to municipalities with an area of about 100 hectares for the construction of a landfill and auxiliary facilities. However, the territory should meet certain conditions:
- location at the distance of at least 50 km from Poland’s land border with neighboring countries;
- location outside the buffer zones of water intakes and buffer zones of internal reservoirs, as well as mining allotments intended for the extraction of minerals from deposits;
- with unproductive lands;
- beyond protected areas such as national parks or nature reserves, and beyond river valley areas or areas with water bodies;
- beyond settlements or areas of social (cultural, recreational or health) value;
- the area should not be subject to earthquakes, subsidence or flooding.
The municipality where the new repository will be located will have the right for an annual fee from the state budget (from the date of acceptance of the first waste to the storage facility until the decision to close the storage facility) in the amount of 400% of the tax income for the property located in this territory.
The construction and operation of the repository will create new work places. It is also planned to construct a training center next to the establishment, which will be open to visitors and provide training for specialists.
The best site for the construction of the repository will be chosen after the consent of the local community for this investment has been obtained and geological and geophysical survey have been carried out to assess the suitability of the sites in accordance with the criteria formulated in the Polish legislation.
According to the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland