Commission opinion of 22 March 2007 concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning of the AVR experimental nuclear power plant at Jülich, located in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty
Date: 2007-03-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: North Rhine-Westphalia, decommissioning of power stations, environmental risk prevention, health risk, project management, public health, radioactive effluent, transfrontier pollution, waste management

23.3.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 67/1

I

(Resolutions, recommendations, guidelines and opinions)

OPINIONS

COMMISSION

Commission opinion of 22 March 2007 concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste
arising from the decommissioning of the AVR experimental nuclear power plant at Jülich, located
in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of
the Euratom Treaty

(only the German text is authentic)

(2007/C 67/01)

On 23 August 2006, the European Commission received from the Government of the Federal Republic of
Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, General Data relating to the plan for the
disposal of radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning of the AVR experimental nuclear power
plant at Jülich.

On the basis of these data and the additional information requested by the Commission on 27 September
2006 and provided by the German Government on 31 October 2006, and following consultation with the
Group of Experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion:

1. The distance between the plant and the nearest point of another Member State, in this case the Nether-

lands is approximately 25 km.

2. During normal decommissioning operation, discharges of liquid and gaseous effluents will not cause an
exposure of the population in other Member States that is significant from the point of view of health.

3. Solid radioactive waste produced during decommissioning will be stored on the site until a national
depository is available. Non-radioactive solid waste and materials in compliance with clearance levels will
be released from regulatory control for disposal as conventional waste or for recycling or reuse. This will
be done in compliance with the criteria laid down in the Basic Safety Standards (Council Directive
96/29/Euratom).

4. In the event of unplanned discharges of radioactive waste, which may follow an accident of the type and
magnitude considered in the General Data, the doses likely to be received by the population in other
Member States would not be significant from the point of view of health.

In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan for the disposal of
radioactive waste in whatever form arising from the decommissioning of the AVR experimental nuclear
power plant at Jülich,
located in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Federal Republic of Germany, both in
normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the General Data,
is not liable to result in radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water,
soil or airspace of another Member State.