Euradwaste '08 - EU Bookshop - Europa

Meeting face-to-face
Dr Daniel Galson of Galson Sciences in the UK agreed that strong and independent monitoring was
essential to building confidence. Also, he said, ‘We should talk to the public about concern-driven
risk management. Small group discussions are better than larger community group meetings or
written communication because trust is built up with an individual.’
Mr Kaj Nilsson of the Oskarshamn municipality in Sweden (a community that hosts several nuclear
facilities) emphasised the importance of respecting the people who live where repositories are
planned. ‘You must meet people person-to-person so they can see you are reliable,’ he said, adding,
‘Regulators must come out of their offices and meet people where these projects are planned.’
Perhaps one of the most poignant observations was provided by Ms Nadia Zeleznik of ARAO in
Slovenia, who reminded the audience that ‘fear is a crucial factor to the understanding of acceptability.’
It is important to keep in mind the strong psychological factors at play, she said, when
working to develop credibility and trust.
Mr Minon of ONDRAF/NIRAS acknowledged that ‘safety is a psychological concept’, and cautioned
against tailoring messages for different audiences. ‘You have to develop a message you can
take to everyone,’ he said. ‘You can say things in a simple way that is still honest.’
When to start?
So if disposing of high-level radioactive waste in geological repositories is safe and economically
feasible, why are there none in operation in Europe? Certainly public opinion plays a major role.
But additionally, the science of managing nuclear waste is constantly improving, and for policymakers
this can make it hard to resist the urge to put things off. Mr Mats Sjöborg, a Swedish policy-maker,
commented that politicians face a ‘new computer’ dilemma: each new development potentially
improves proposed designs, and these projects involve such long time frames and such astronomical
sums of money that it’s difficult to decide when it’s time to begin.
A new technology platform
From several discussions that were taking place throughout the conference, it was clear that the
community is ready to move on from more basic research and development towards implementation.
This means a shift in focus from science to engineering. To that end, a new European technology
platform (ETP) on the implementation of geological disposal of radioactive waste has been
initiated, led by SKB (Sweden) and Posiva (Finland). Dr Alan Hooper of NDA in the UK presented
outcomes of the Sixth Euratom Framework Programme (FP6) CARD project, aimed at assessing the
feasibility of this ETP. A step-by-step implementation plan has been outlined where the next step is
the drafting of a vision document that will provide the basis for organisations to commit to participation.
The vision document will be finalised early next year. The platform’s launch is planned for
the second half of 2009.
In a separate meeting about the technology platform, Mr Webster of DG Research said that the
Commission supports the effort, saying that this area of research is one with the most unifying basic
vision – that of implementation of safe geological disposal. He expressed hopes that it will follow
the success of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform, dealing mainly with new reactor
systems, which was launched in September 2007.
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