A temporary storage for radioactive waste
The Ministry for Ecological Transition has begun a process of public consultation on the creation of an individual temporary warehouse (MTI) on the Vandellòs I nuclear plant. This installation is currently in a latency phase, after Have completed the second level of its dismantling.
Plant History: An accident that changes the course
Closed since 1989 due to a serious incident, the Vandellòs nuclear and has been a topic of debate for decades. The BOE has recently published information on the environmental impact study that accompanies the proposal of Enresa, the company responsible for managing radioactive waste, which hopes that the warehouse will be operational in 2027.
Financial and logistics aspects
The waste generated by dismantling, as well as the four spent fuel containers currently in France, will be stored in this new facility. The delay in the return of these containers has cost an annual cost of € 30 million for Enresa.
Procedures and deadlines
Enresa has begun the necessary procedures to obtain the environmental impact permit and the approval of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN). The interested parties will have a period of thirty days to submit allegations to the project.
Details of the Warehouse Project
The new Vandellòs MTI and will include three buildings, one of which will be large and will build armed concrete. The other two buildings will be used to facilitate the storage process. These facilities are expected to be smaller than those of the Ascó and Vandellòs II plants, which are designed to manage a higher number of containers.
Future of dismantling
The Vandellòs plant is expected to end its latency phase by 2030, when the third and final level of dismantling can be started. The 1989 reactor fire, one of the most serious in Spain, marked a before and after in the management of this facility.
A Model to follow?
In order to efficiently manage nuclear waste, the Spanish government has decided to build individualized temporary warehouses in each nuclear plant, instead of a centralized warehouse. This decision, based on the seventh state radioactive waste plan, seeks a solution more adapted to the needs of each facility.
Execution time and expectations
Work on the Vandellòs warehouse and will have a period of eighteen months, followed by a month of evidence. In addition, the facilities of Ascó and Vandellòs II are expected to operate between 2026 and 2027, coinciding with the imminent need to store spent fuel.
The way forward
With the new warehouses, it seeks to ensure the continuity of fuel recharging operations in the future, thus guaranteeing the safety and sustainability of the Spanish nuclear sector. Nuclear waste management is still a challenge that requires innovative and efficient solutions.