Commission Opinion of 31 May 2012 relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the Uranium Extraction Facility of the Talvivaara Mine, located in Finland, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty
Date: 2012-05-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Finland, nuclear accident, radioactive pollution, radioactive waste, uranium, waste disposal








C_2012158EN.01000201.xml










5.6.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 158/2





COMMISSION OPINION
of 31 May 2012
relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the Uranium Extraction Facility of the Talvivaara Mine, located in Finland, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty
2012/C 158/02
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 15 April 2011, the European Commission received from the Finnish Government, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, General Data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the Uranium Extraction Facility of the Talvivaara Mine, located in Finland.
On the basis of these data and additional information requested by the Commission on 20 June 2011 and provided by the Finnish authorities on 12 and on 27 December 2011, and following consultation with the Group of Experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion:






1.


The distance between the site and the nearest border with another Member State, in this case Sweden, is 280 km. The nearest neighbouring country is Russia at a distance of 96 km.










2.


The Uranium Extraction Facility will not be subject to a discharge authorisation for liquid radioactive effluents. During normal operations, the discharge of liquid radioactive effluents will not take place.










3.


During normal operations, the discharge of airborne radioactive effluents will not cause an exposure of the population of another Member State or a neighbouring country that is significant from the point of view of health.










4.


In the case of unplanned releases of radioactive effluents that 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 or a neighbouring country 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 Uranium Extraction Facility of the Talvivaara Mine, located in Finland, both during normal operations 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 of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State or a neighbouring country that would be significant from the point of view of health.

Done at Brussels, 31 May 2012.


For the Commission

Günther OETTINGER

Member of the Commission