RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

Year 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58
Operation of the NPPs
60
40 years of operation
Final repository for short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste
Operational waste
Design
Extension
Decommissioning waste
Interim storage of core components
At NPPs and Clab
At SFR
Final disposal of other long-lived waste
Safety evaluation
Siting
Design
Extension
Operation of final repository for other
long-lived waste
Figure 13. Rough timetable for the LILW programme.
The calculated volumes of decommissioning waste presume that the NPPs are decommissioned
and dismantled to slightly below ground level, and that all radioactive material is disposed of in
SKB’s facilities. This ensures that the need for repository volume will not be underestimated.
The actual volumes may be less, however. It is, for example, possible that the power plant
owners will choose to dispose of waste containing small quantities of radioactive material by
shallow land burial in near-surface repositories, such as is done today with certain types of
low-level waste.
A5.2.1 Final disposal – short-lived waste
Operational waste
Assuming that the NPPs are operated for 40 years, the capacity of existing chambers in the
SFR facility (SFR-1, volume 63,000 m 3 ) will suffice for the routinely produced short-lived
operational waste. If the operating times are prolonged, an extension may be necessary in
around 2025. Waste from research, medical care and industry similar to operational waste is
also disposed of in SFR-1.
Decommissioning waste
Decommissioning will generate both short-lived and long-lived LILW. Extensions of the SFR
facility consisting of several additional rock caverns are planned for the short-lived decommissioning
waste, which is the dominant fraction in terms of volume. Assuming that the NPPs are
operated for 40 years, the first of these chambers will not be needed until 2020 at the earliest.
Design and other preparations should then start about ten years earlier. The total quantity of
short-lived decommissioning waste from the NPPs to be disposed of in SFR is estimated at
about 150,000 m 3 , i.e. twice as much as the waste from operation and maintenance.
A5.2.2 Interim storage – core components
The interim storage of long-lived LILW, mainly core components, that is required up until
about 2020 can be managed in existing space in Clab, in combination with the at-reactor interim
storage for which the power companies themselves take responsibility. When decommissioning
402 RD&D-Programme 2004