Commission Opinion of 3 February 2012 relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, located in Somerset, United Kingdom
Date: 2012-02-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: United Kingdom, environmental protection, nuclear safety, public health, radioactive waste








C_2012033EN.01000101.xml










7.2.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 33/1





COMMISSION OPINION
of 3 February 2012
relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, located in Somerset, United Kingdom
(Only the English text is authentic)
2012/C 33/01
The assessment below is carried out under the provisions of the Euratom Treaty, without prejudice to any additional assessments to be carried out under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the obligations stemming from it and from secondary legislation.
On 9 August 2011, the European Commission received from the Government of the United Kingdom, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, General Data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
On the basis of these data and the complementary information provided by representatives of the government of the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Group of Experts on 8 and 9 November 2011, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion.






1.


The distance from the site to the nearest Member States is 185 km for France and 250 km for the Republic of Ireland.










2.


Under normal operating conditions, the discharges of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluents are not liable to cause an exposure of the population in another Member State that is significant from the point of view of health.










3.


Solid low-level radioactive waste is temporarily stored on site before transfer to disposal facilities authorised by the United Kingdom regulatory authorities. Spent fuel elements and intermediate-level solid waste are temporarily stored on site, awaiting the future availability of a geological repository. Reprocessing of spent fuel is not envisaged.










4.


In the event of unplanned releases of radioactive effluents, 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 another Member State would not be significant from the point of view of health.




In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the General Data, the implementation of the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste in whatever form from the two EPR reactors on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, located in Somerset, United Kingdom, is not liable to result in a radioactive contamination of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State that would be significant from the point of view of health.

Done at Brussels, 3 February 2012.


For the Commission

Günther OETTINGER

Member of the Commission