SKB wants to increase capacity for the storage of nuclear waste – Swedish Radio

It has been called “Sweden’s most expensive garbage room” – and has now been in operation for 30 years. SKB’s interim storage facility for spent fuel, CLAB, located outside Oskarshamn. Today was the open house and tour. The final waste layer has taken longer than planned and now wants SKB increase capacity.

40 meters down the mountain near Oskarshamn is between the layer where SKB, the Swedish nuclear power plants, waste management companies , stores all nuclear fuel as humanly used in Swedish nuclear power plants – close to 6000 tonnes of uranium.

The fuel elements are in cartridges in pools covered with water. The oldest has been in 30 years. According to the original plan, they would be moved to the repository for spent nuclear fuel at Forsmark is planned.

But the process of building it has taken a long time and SKB believes that the current state of storing up to 8,000 tons of uranium is not enough. Therefore, SKB has requested extended permit for a total of 11 000 tonnes in order to spend more nuclear waste in the middle layer.

– At first nuclear power program would not last this long. It was told in 2010 or something like that there. But then it is also true that the repository is delayed so that we need more volume to the store for, says Petter Ohlsson, who is operations manager for CLAB, as the interim storage units.

Is there any technical difficulties to expand capacity here?

– No, there is no technical problems. We know what needs to be done in that case and is already to ensure that such things are covered up.

Visitors included By Wahlsten not seen the warehouse previously settled a long time he worked on OKG’s nuclear power plants right next door.

– This is the first time that I visit CLAB, he said.

What do you think when you see this?

– That it is handled with professionalism and I know that well since I worked at OKG is that you have to think of everything and that there are rules for everything.

Annika Digréus
annika.digreus@sverigesradio.se

Timeline of CLAB

• 25 April 1973: The Government appointed inquiry into the question of the management of waste from Swedish nuclear power plants. The intention was that a facility should be completed by the 1982nd

 

• 1977 -1979: Permit Process

 

• December 14, 1978: The government decides to Simpevarp, near Oskarshamn is a suitable place for interim storage CLAB. There is already a nuclear power plant.

 
• July 10, 1979: Licensing Board for Environmental Protection gave permission to build CLAB 3,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel

 

• August 23, 1979: Government decision to build CLAB with the condition that the start of construction to take place after the referendum on nuclear power.

 
• July 11, 1985: The first container with spent nuclear waste brought into the Cla. It comes from Barsebäck.

 
• January 1999: CLAB built a stage two with more basins

 

• 2007: Expanded permission to store up to 8,000 tons of nuclear waste

 

• 2014: SKB is applying to expand the capacity of the middle layer to 11 000 tonnes. The intention is to pack more compact nuclear fuel in another type of storage cassette.

 
• 2050: Initial planned runtime for CLAB ceases.