Down to Earth...and Below
Sweden's Plans for Nuclear Waste
The goal of the site investigation phase is to obtain a permit to build the deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. The permit applications will be based on broad supporting documentation. The investigations of the rock serve as a basis for configuring the underground units of the deep repository. These results will also influence the positioning and layout of the surface units of the repository and provide input for assessment of the environmental impact.
Much experience has been gained by SKB and others over the past 25 years of managing and communicating the nuclear waste programme. They can be summarized as follows:
- It is necessary to be clear and open, and it is vital to carefully define the problem to be discussed. Communication should concentrate first on why (sharing the problem) and then on how nuclear waste should be managed.
- Words cannot replace action. Trust or distrust will depend mainly on how an organisation is seen to behave. Thus priority should be given to actions - they speak louder than words. Visits to operational sites are important because people seldom disbelieve what they see with their own eyes, and practical demonstrations of how spent fuel can be handled - like in CLAB, the central interim storage facility - help to enhance confidence in future plans.
- It is important to maintain a constant dialogue with all stakeholders and the general public. Trust must be based upon continuity and an open discussion of all issues. Also difficulties and potential problems should be actively communicated to the public and the press by the implementer.
- We live in a global village. Events and debates in one country can be picked up literally within seconds by the media in another country. Thus there is a mutual dependence between waste management programmes. For instance, the progress made in neighbouring countries like Finland and Sweden has provided a mutual support between these two programmes. Thus the decision, in principle, in Finland on deep geological disposal (KBS-concept) at Olkiluoto has been most helpful in the Swedish debate. On the other hand some of the international discussions on international or multinational repositories have posed difficulties because such discussions - if they are not well structured - have created doubts about the possibilities of local municipalities to stay in control of the types and origins of the waste to be disposed of in their area.
Multinational Co-operation
However, if it is well structured and focuses on the development of a common basis of knowledge, international cooperation is important and rewarding. For a good number of years, the close international co-operation and co-ordination in R&D as well as safety principles within IAEA and other international fora has been extremely valuable.
I would like in particular to also emphasise IAEA's Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. It provides clear statements about the need for well-defined national waste management strategies and programmes as well as underlining that each country has a responsibility for its nuclear waste. The fact that it requires the presentation and international review of the programme documents will be a significant tool in helping all Member States define and develop their nuclear waste management plans.
- CONTENTS
- Down to Earth and Below
- The Swedish System
- Site Investigations and Stakeholder Involvement
- Multinational Co-operation
- Increased International Consensus
- Concluding Remarks
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