CELEX: 51974PC2285
Language: en
Date: 1975-01-08
Title: PROGRAMME ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (74) 2285
Vol. 1974/0386
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                   COM (74) 2285 final .
                                       Bruxelles . 8 January 1975
             PROGRAMME ON RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT AND
                                 STORAGE
             ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
   COM ( 7*0 2285 final .
 ---pagebreak---                              TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROGRAMME                                              Page
1.  Motivation               ........                    2
2.  Programme proposals                                  5
    - Processing of solid radioactive \tfaste
    -- Storage and. disposal of high-activity and/or
       long-lived radioactive wastes
    - Study of an advanced management model
       ( separation and transmutation of actinides )
    - Survey of the problems involved in the
       management of radioactive waste that could not
       be solved in the existing international legal .
       administrative and financial frameworx
    - Study of the guiding principles for the
       management of radioactive waste
3.  Summary and breal:do;m of the proposed funding      11
4-  Technical annexes (A and B )                        12
PROPOSAL POR A C0U1TCIL DECI3I01I . .                   30
A1W3XES                                                 32
 ---pagebreak---                                    ~ 2 -
Programme on radioactive waste management and storage
1„  Motivation
    On 22 November 1973 "the Council approved, as part of the Community's
    programme of action for the environment , the principle of a five-point
    work plan concerning the management of radioactive waste ( OJ C112 ,
    20 December 1 9T3) - It asked the Commission to put forward a proposal
    on the subject before 31 December 1 974-
    The Council reaffirmed the need for such action in its resolution of
<   7 November 1974 (R/2996/74 EHV. 137/EUER. 48) and felt that it was the
    responsibility of the Communities and the Member States to study the
    problems involved mainly in nuclear power expansion and in particular,
    in radioactive waste =.
    The reasons end aims of Community action in this sphere may be
    summarized as follows :
    ~ On the technical side , there is the fact that the growth in the
      use of nuclear energy to meet an increasing proportion of the
      Community ^ electricity requirements has a concomitant disadvantage
      in that industrial radioactive waste is produced in quantities
      proportional to the scale of the nuclear electricity programme ;
     Annex A contains some forecasts regarding the activity and volume
      of the waste which will have to be dealt with by the end of this
      century .
      The management of this waste - especially that with a high specific
      activity and long half-life such as is produced in fuel-reprocessing
      plants - presents and will continue to present difficult problems for
      those Community countries which have a high population density.    It
      is therefore essential to find effective solutions for the isolation
      (and/or destruction) of such waste (after appropriate processing and,
      where necessary, transport ) for periods which may in some cases run
      into geological era*
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 3 -
    It Is also necessary to evolve a legal , administrative and financial
    framework to ensure that the waste is managed without danger to the
   public or the environment ,
 - Action at Community level offers a number of advantages . Some partial
    solutions are already being studied in certain Member States , but the
   efforts vary in intensity . In the search for solutions , time and money
   could be caved by exchanging information and sharing work . The public
   service nature of this work and the secondary importance of the commercial
   interests at stake call for Community- -level direction-
   Furthermore , many problems in this sphere have industrial , economic o;n&
   social repercussions which affect whole regions such as the Community ,
    ■?or instance , the industry which produces the most waste •- irradiated--fuel
   reprocessing ■- works for a market which transcends national frontiers ;
   solutions must therefore be sought on a wider plane .
   The solutions adopted may also influence the development of nuclear
   power through their economic impact and through the reception they
   meet with among the public ; a community approach should convince
   the general public that both nan and his environment will be protected ,
   whatever the technologies adopted to suit particular features of
   national territories or the urgency of the nuclear programmes ; it
   should thus facilitate the harmonious development of nuclear power
   production in all the Community countries .
-- As regards the timescale , the experts consider that it will take at
   least another few decades of hard work in order to develop and try out
   in practice the best solutions to the problems posed by radioactive
                                                *
   waste management - and especially disposal" -- in a highly developed
   nuclear economy . It is therefore not too early to take an immediate
   ( / Cf notes on page 4
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 4 -
decision to join forces in order to cope with the situation which will
obtain in the years 1990 "to 2000 .
Consequently , this programme , which is proposed for a period of five
years (1 975-1 980 )» must "be regarded as the first stage of a longer-term
programme .
It has been drawn up "by the Commission with the aid of a working party
composed of national experts .     It consists of a series of technological
projects and general studies aimed at working out the technical solutions-
and legal , administrative and financial framework needed to enable the ,
management of radioactive waste to become an integral part of the
nuclear-fuel cycle industries , without endangering the environment
and mankind .
All these studies and projects will be financed largely by the Commission
and coordinated by it with the help of a Programme management committee
comprising representatives of . the Member . States and Commission officials .
This committee will have to meet as soon as this programme is approved .
The work will be carried out by qualified public or private agencies
in the Member States ,
The proposed programme takes into account the research work currently
in hand at the Community Joint Research Centre , the results of which
will serve as back-up material for this programme .
It also takes into account the activities of the international organizations
in order to avoid duplication .     In particular , it proposes a Community
financial contribution towards the continuation of certain technological
studies begun by the OECD Joint Enterprise (2urochemic ).
      /
It will be submitted for review at the end of two years , to reorientate
or amplify individual projects where necessary in the light of the
results obtained .
 ---pagebreak--- 2,     Programme proposals
      Programme proposais concern : v '
      - work on the processing of radioactive waste with a view to storage
                       (***)
          and disposai N      ;
      - work on waste storage , and Community measures to promote disposal
          in geological formations ;
      - strategic studies to assess the advantage of an advanced management
         model ( separation and transmutation of - actinides ) ;
      - studies designed to identify the problems of radioactive waste
         management which "cannot be solved under current international
         legal , administrative and financial provisions , and to propose
         appropriate solutions ;
      - studies of the principles which must guide radioactive waste
         management from the technical aspects .
2.1 .    Processing of solid radioactive waste
         The processing of the various categories of radioactive waste
         is a problem which is being tackled by most of the Member States ,
         although iTith varying resources .   Very satisfactory solutions exist
         for certain types of waste and for intermediate storage , but the
         processing methods for ivaste disposal ( ultimate storage ) need to
         be further improved .
         The Commission and the national experts therefore felt that the
         following points should be included in the Community programme
         to supplement the work of the Member States .
         The purpose of these projects is to develop processing methods
         to ensure greater safety in handling of certain critical categories
         (*) See also Annex B.
        (**) Storage : waste is stored with the intention and possibility of
                    recovering the materials in question at a later date .
      (***) Disposal ( or ultimate storage ): the waste is deposited in a
                         place from which it is virtually irretrievable -
                         Ref . OEOD "Radioactive waste management practice in
                         Western Europe" Sept . f 71 •
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 6 -
of waste and its transport to storage sites , and to permit or
facilitate the use of reliable long-term or permanent storage .
( disposal ) techniques to replace the present methods of interim
storage ..
Storage safety and the nature of the materials conditioned are largely
complementary and , to some extent , interdependent , by reason of the
interactions of the confining medium and material conditioned .
a. Medi^m-mtivity solid vrastes
    Study of immobilization with plastic resins ( Sheet No. 1 ) in place
    of bitumen , affording a substantial reduction in volume compared
    with other methods .
b , High-act ivi ty_ solid wast es
    Study of the decontamination and conditioning of irradiated fuel
    element claddings ( Sheet Ho , 2 ) enabling the present provisional
    under water to "be replaced by a storage process which is reliable
    in the long term ;
    Study of the incorporation of calers from_ high-act ivity jraMes
    produced in reprocessing plants in a metal matrix ( Sheet No . 3 )
    in place of glass materials whose radiation level is difficult to
    assess in the long tem and which do not efficiently dissipate the
    heat generated by radioactive decay , thus adding to the problems
    of storage ,
c > Alpha-contaminated s olid wastes
  • Study of an incineration process (Sheet No . 4) affording appropriate
    conditioning of ash for the purposes of , long-terra storage .
d , Measurement and comparison of the _piy>perties of the various
    immobilization media for solidified products ( Sheet No . 5 )
    This programme to be - launched in Community laboratories should
    enable a comparison to be made on a joint basis of the
    characteristics of the different immobilization media - being developed ,
    to assist later selection of the most' promising processes .
Comr.unity contribution :
        a . .... .......... «                0. 5 Mua
        b                                    3, 5 Mua
        c„                                   1,3 Kua
        d                 * ,                0*3 Mua
                                 Total       5.8 Kua over five years
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 7 -
                                                                               ι
2,2 , Storage and disposal of high-activity and/or long-lived radioactive
      wastes
      After conditioning in a suitable solid form , high-activity wastes will ,
      aocording to the experts , be stored for several decades in artificial
      structures in order to enable them to be partially cooled by
      radioactive decay, This cooling will help the subsequent handling,
  '   transport and disposal operations ,
      The processes for the disposal ( final storage ) of radioactive wastes
      containing long-lived emitters      ( high-activity wastes from reprocessing
      plants , wastes from reprocessing of plutonium fuel elements) must in
      the meantime be  developed with the necessary care . They pose a rather
                       (**)
      unusual problem  v ' , because they have to isolate these products from
      the environment  for extremely long periods .
      Practically all the experts agree that disposal into suitable geological
      formations represents a definitive solution to the problem outlined
      above and on which ought to be applied wherever possible as soon as
      this can be done with a full knowledge of the facts .
      The significance of a final arid irreversible decision to bury such
      waste far below the earth must not be underestimated , A pooling of
      information and results of studies , a permanent comparison of the     ,
      experience gained by the various states at the level of a large
      geographical and industrial entity such as the Community - only by
      these means can such a decision be made at the right moment .
      Accordingly , the Commission and the national experts having regard
      to the unequal and often limited status of the work carried out so far
      in the Member States , considered that the present part of the progrrmme
      constituted the bedrock of Community action as regards environment
      protection in the field of radioactive imstes - and in the same way
      was a fundamental factor in the harmonious development of nuclear energy.
 (*) i.e. , emitters whose activity declines very slowly with time ( thousands
      of years), cases in point being aotinides such as isotopes of plutonium ,
      americium and curium .                !
(**) Certain chemical vra.stes raise similar problems ( e.g. mercury).
 ---pagebreak---                                                   • 8 -
     The proposed actions axe as iollows :                          - .
     a - Exchange of information and comparison of designs for interim
          storage facilities ( artificial structures ); study of the position
          of such storage in an overall waste management strategy ( Sheet No . 6 ).
     b . Community pro.jeot on the disposal of radioactive waste in geological
          formations ( Sheet Ho , 7 ) comprising :
                                        - listing or mapping by specialized institutes
          in the Commtmity of the geological formations situated within the
          territories of the Community countries that are of a suitable type
          for final disposal ;
                                        -• selection and study of certain sites , if
          possible of different geological characteristics , which national
          authorities would "be prepared to accept as experim ental final
                                   (**)
          storage sites
             .1 .... * »... -LU mv
                                         ;
                                         1
                                        - the setting-up of these e:rperimental sites
          on the "basis of the results of the foregoing steadies , and their
          technical management , under the auspices of the Commission , by
          a Committee responsible to the Programme Management Committee
        , referred to on page 3 ;              existing site(s ) could be included in the .
          project if the government ( s) responsibl - so wished^ \
     c , In addition , specific pro.ject on the storage of gaseous waste
          ( Sheet ITo .- 3 ) is also submitted in view of the potential interest
          of the information obtained in the course of projects ( a) and ( b)
          in this connection and the multinational nature of the problem „
     Community contribution :
                  a                                            0.2 Mua
                  b.                                    ..   12,0 Mua
                  c,    .. ,                                   0.2 Mua
                                               Total         12,4 iiua over five years
 (*) This means experimental sites where final storage methods will be
     tried out , although it vrill still be possible to recover the waste
     pending the decision on the use of final methods ..
(**) At this stage , responsibility for each site will lie with the State
     concerned ,
 ---pagebreak--- Study of sin advanced management model ( separation and transmutation
of actinides)        ...                   'j ;~
Actions 2.1 and 2.2 in- this programme form part of a radioactive -
management model extrapolated' from current storage and processing
practices ; it represents an overall approach in that the waste
will be managed ( processed , stored and disposed of) in the form in
which it is produced by the nuclear plants , i.e. as mixtures of
radioactive products having T-ddely' differing properties , and in
particular with degrees of toxicity and half-lives which may differ
by' factors of about a million .
Only the actinides have very long half -lives and exhibit alpha ;
radiotoxicity ;  this raises the problem of isolating them from the
environment for perhaps a million years .
The problem of waste disposal would therefore in theory be simplified
if the actinides could be separated from the other xfastes and
destroyed as complementary fuel in nuclear reactors .
Although " selective" management of this kind appears attractive at
first sight , the experts are unable to say at present whether it      <
is of any real advantage and could come up to expectations , i First ,
the hazards to the environment of the final storage of actinides
are perhaps greatly overestimated and must be analysed in depth ,
Secondly, the new technical operations involved - separation and
destruction of actinides - would add to the list of problems to be
                          • · 'Γ 1 ' . / ·
solved and , since they could not be perfect , might themselves produce
further waste ,
For all these reasons , the Commission and the national experts
strongly advocate , in view of what is at stake , the coordination
of efforts in the Community,- and especially in the JRC*s laboratories
(multi-annual research programme - direct action) with the support
of Community financing for ad hoc evaluation studies ( Sheet No . 9) >
Community, contribution :                     0 . 76 Ilua over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 10 -
2o4 » Survey of the problems involved in the management of radioactive
       waste that could not "be 'solved in the existing international legal ,
       administrative and financial framework
       Management . of radioactive waste , especially high-activity and
       long-lived waste , will call for nuclear facilities with unusual
       technical characteristics , i.e. waste storage and disposal sites .
       These facilities will have to contain the waste in isolation from
       the environment for various periods which will sometimes be
       extremely long.
       It is necessary to study the types of problem ( financial ,
       administrative , legal ) to be faced by managers of these facilities
       in order to ensure that they function correctly at all times and to
       monitor their .operation. It would then be possible to evaluate the
       scope of their responsibilities , to decide on the level ( private ,
                                                                 I
       governmental , Community) at which the managers should be recruited
       and to 'assess the possible limits of the international conventions
       in force ^ ,       ' •                            ■
       The Commission intends to set up a select working party of experts
       ( technicians , health protection specialists and, at a later stage ,
       specialized lawyers ) to make proposals in this connection , The
       Commission should also have a limited budget so that it could have
 ... . the necessary analyses performed under study contracts .
       The Commission considers that this work is an essential counterpart
       to the activities outlined in section 2.2 in the search for a general
       scheme for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste in such a
       way as to safeguard the environment and the general public . It
       appears logical to the Commission to undertake this work as and when
       technical problems develop and in coordination with the work on them ,
       so as to provide a realistic basis for their solution and prevent the
       development of nuclear energy in the Community from being inhibited ,
       after the technical problems are solved , by the absence of the
       necessary legal , administrative , and financial framework.
       Community financing ( tOC$)                   0,2 Mua over five years .
(*) Brussels and Paris Conventions ; these govern liability to third
      parties after accidents and for very limited periods .
 ---pagebreak---                                                             - 11 -
                           \
2.5 . Study of the guiding principles for the management of radioactive
       waste
       The work and studies outlined above should make it possible to
       prepare a preliminary set of guiding principles for the management
       of high-activity and/or long-lived radioactive waste .
       These criteria will be formulated by the Commission , with the
       assistance of a working party , in close cooperation with the
       International Atomic Energy Agency, and the CECD 's Nuclear Energy-
       Agency .                                                                           1 ,
3»   Summary and breakdown of the proposed funding
            \     '
     I    ■   1     11     1 11   ■              1      ■[
     !         .                : Total r 1975 i| 1976                           1977 ; 1978      . 1979
                 ■              '                                   !
     j                          i (lua)                  | (Kua ) |\ ■ (Mua)     (Mua) i (ïfca)     (Mua )
     j                          !                       !           1i'
     1                                \          /       »      – f
     !               - - .      A                        1           i         J
     1                          1                                                      I
     I                                                   i
       A. Contract costs j 18,40 j 2 40                                   5.00   4,60 | 3- 90       2,50
                                                         j *
                                 i                       I    ,
       B.       Staff and        I                       i                             i
                                                         |                             ι
               administrative                            i
                costs             i 0.76                 i 0,12           0.13   0,15 j 0.17        0,19
                                  L
                                  l ,   . i. 1 n .. ... ^
                                                         L            ι
                                                                      i
                                                                        '               È
                                                                                        :       ;
                                                                                                i
                                                                                                           {
                                                                                                           ♦
                                                                                                           I
                                                                                                           j
                                                                    I \
                                                                                        i
     j         Total             I 19.16 2.52
                                  i
                                                                    jI
                                                                      i
                                                                          5-13   4.75  ! 4.07
                                                                                       l
                                                                                                    2.69
     i                            >                       i                             I
                                                                                        »
                                                                                                i
      This action will require a staff of 4-
 ---pagebreak---                                                     AMEX A
                     Estimated production of radioactive waste in the European Community
                                        ( based on the new energy policy strategy)
                       I                             !|      1 980                  1990        1        2000  j
                       i                             Ii
    High-activity        volume      j annual               ~   350       ιI     ~    2500      !     ~  6000
    waste
                          (n3)       I cumulative           ~ 1300        11     ~ 1 7000       |     ~ 70000
    (1 ) (2) (3)      ji
                         activity
                            ( ci )
                                      !
                                        annual
                                        cumulative
                                                      !
                                                            ~ s . 7.10?
                                                            -Ί.4.1010
                                                                          i - 5.5.10 ?
                                                                                 ~1.1,1011
                                                                                                ;
                                                                                                !     ~3.1011  !
  –                   !               !
                                                       !
                                                      II
                                                                          !
                                                                        – La. .
                                                                                                ;'             1
                                                                                                               J
                                                                                                               !
                       1                annual            several tens           y 100,000      1   several
    Médium and
                                                          of thousands                          !  hundreds of
    low-activity         volume
    waste                                                                                       j  thousands
         (5               (i»3)         cumulative   ' j > 100,000        !     y 1 , 000 , 000 i  several
                      1
                                                       i                  I|                    j  millions
1                      1
                       1           .1                                      i
  ( 1 ) Cladding, fission products and actinides .
  ( 2) Reprocessing industry only.
  ( 3 ) The percentage of actinides is about 1 % of the total volume and Q.Y/o of the total activity
        of high-activity waste .
  ( 4) Processed waste ( compacted or vitrified).
  ( 5 ) Nuclear reactors and reprocessing facilities .
 ---pagebreak---                      ΑΝΕΕΧ Β
  Descriptive technical note® on the various
operations to "be carried out under this programme
                (programme sheets )
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 14 -
Sheet ÏTo . 1
Medium-activity solid waste :   study on immobilization with plastic resins
Medium-activity waste originating from the treatment of effluents from
light-i:ater power reactors is going to constitute , at least so far as
volume is concerned , one of the most important features of radioactive
waste iti the years ahead .
These effluents are processed by evaporation and the resultant concentrate
is nowadays almost exclusively incorporated in concrete .    Although it is
satisfactory and can offer a high degree of reliability , this method has
several inherent disadvantages :
                            l
- to produce homogeneous blocks is a technologically delicate operation ;
- to transport the blocks obtained , special devices ( shielded transport
  containers , etc .) are necessary to bring the packaging into line with
  the transport regulations ;
- to store these blocks special precautions must be taken to avoid the
  effects of rapid changes of temperature .
The method of packaging by coating with bitumen can offset these
disadvantages , but calls for other precautions owing to the flammable
nature of bitumen .
A third method now being developed in the United States and in Europe
consists in immobilization in plastic resins .    Developments in Europe ,
at any rate , have not yet gone beyond the pilot stage on very low-activity
products .    An important advantage of this method is that it has a large
volume-reduction factor compared with the concreting technique in particular ,
and this is a tangible gain in respect of transport and the areas required
for either temporary or permanent storage .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 15 -
The proposal is to develop a pilot facility capable of processing medium-
activity effluents .    To install a pilot facility of this kind at a
power reactor site would probably be difficult and scarcely compatible
with the management of the reactor effluents unless large storage
capacities were built .    For this reason it is proposed to build such
a pilot facility as an annex to the effluent treatment plant attached
to an irradiated fu®l works , seeing that the respective properties of
the effluents make this a viable proposition .
Programme                             ,
- Erection of a pilot facility adjacent to sji irradiated fuel reprocessing
  works to immobilize medium-active effluents in plastic resins .
- Operation of this experimental facility .                   x
- Comparison of this process with the other present-day processes .
Community contribution:    0.5 million u.a. over five years .
                                                                  )
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 16 -
  Sheet ïïo . 2
v                                                      .
  High-activity solid waste :    decontamination and conditioning of
  irradiated fuel element claddings .
  The claddings of fuel unloaded from li$it-water nuclear reactors after
  irradiation are second on the list as regards total radioactivity of
  radioactive waste .    This waste has a high specific activity , which
  identifies it as high-activity waste , and also a high content of
  transuranic elements .
  The present expedient of under-water storage in concrete silos on the
  premises of the reprocessing works is not a satisfactory long-term
  solution .    What is needed , therefore , is to develop a method for
  decontaminating and conditioning the claddings in a form suitable for
  long-term storage .
 Programme
  - Assessment of the various types of cladding.
  - Physical and chemical properties of the claddings .
  - Comparative study on decontamination processes .
  - Development of a process for conditioning these claddings for long-term
    storage while net ruling out the possibility of recycling their
    zirconium .
 - Comparative study of the conversion costs and risks inherent in the
    various processes .
 Community contribution#     0.8 million u.a. over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 17- -
                                       A
     Sheet No , 3
                                                                       . ,  (
     High-activity solid waste ?  immobilization of fission product calces
     in a metallic matrix
     The reprocessing of irradiated fuel is a means whereby "unburnt" uranium
 , and newly-created plutonium can be salvaged for later use . The fission
     products are separated during these operations in the form of very highly
     active liquid waste which is stored in tanks on the works premises after
     having been concentrated by evaporation,
     This expedient , entirely satisfactory as it may be iri the short term ,
     gives rise to some long-term problems since it would be essential to
     change the tanks periodically for fear of corrosion. Furthermore , it
   , will not always be feasible to store on site for very long periods and a
     transport operation will be needed which can best be carried out when the
     fission products have been brought into a solid form . A number of
     techniques for solidification and immobilization in matrices favouring
     the operations of transport and storage therefore ought to be available
  > for large-scale use in Europe during the next decade , when the reprocessing
     industry will enter a period of rapid expansion.
     The only technique developed so far in Europe from the laboratory stage
     to the pilot industrial stage is vitrification .    While this method
. ensures a hi$i level of safety it ha.s two disadvantages :
     - The fact that glass is a poor heat conductor complicates storage
       operations .
     - Glass is a substance that would be difficult to hanle if in a few years
       time it proved necessary to reprocess the vitrified products in order ,
       for example , to separate out the transursnic elements .
     In addition to these disadvantages there is still some uncertainty over
     the long-term behaviour of the vitrified products .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 18 -
It is proposed to develop another method within the European Community ,
whereby fission-product calces br small-sized glass "beads obtained by
vitrification are immobilized in a metallic substance .      This method
appears to offer the possibility of overcoming the above-mentioned
disadvantages .   The method has been investigated on a laboratory scale
by Eurochemic which has filed patents concerning it .     Trials have not
gone beyond the inactive stage , however , and the cessation by this
company of its reprocessing activities means the termination of the
complementary research work financed by it .
The work which the Community would carry out in this field should be
done at a .reprocessing works having concentrated fission products on hand .
The work already carried out by Eurochemic would appear to make it
desirable to continue the study at this company 's site .
Programme
It is proposed that the Community should give Eurochemic a contract to
research this process under active conditions.    , The programme would cover:
- preliminary investigations in a hot cell under active conditions ;
- the construction of a snail active " pilot facility;' ■
- operation of this pilot facility for about two years .
Community contribution :  2.7 million u.a. over five years .
 ---pagebreak--- Sheet No . 4
Plutonium contgminated solid waste ;       incineration process
Solid waste containing plutonium is produced in fairly large quantities
in cerain nuclear fuel fabrication plants said in the "tail-end" operations
of fuel reprocessing plants .        This waste mainly consists of paper ,
filters , gloves , oils and a wide variety of materials used in alpha
gloves-boxes .
          7
For the time being, this waste is processed either by being compressed
and suitably encased or by being compressed and immobilized in bitumen
or concrete .       The substances , after being thus conditioned, are disposed
of at storage sites or in tinderground workings or else they are dumped at
sea as a part of the sea-dumping operations organized by the HEA .
In    the      long term , this approach is unsatisfactory for the following
reasons :
       !■
- the volume is unnecessarily high ;
- the fact of the conditioning being somewhat rudimentary limits the
    storage and sea-dumping possibilities ;
- the possibilities of recovery are too few.
It is for the foregoing reasons that a twofold effort is needed :
( 1 ) to condition slightly contaminated waste more suitably ;      this would
          afford a large reduction in volume and better possibilities of
     . permanent storage or sea-dumping;            i
( 2 ) to recover the maximum amount of plutonium.
The programme covers the development of a high-temperature incinerator
(minimum 1400°C ) designed to handle various types of waste contaminated
by plutonium , and fitted with a reliable gas scrubber .
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 20
The use of suclj high-temperature furnaces in industry has shorn two
major advantages :
( a)   when suitably cooled , the combustion gases are easy to filter in
       view of the virtual absence of uriburnt substances therein ;
(b )   the ash collected in molten form is then already conditioned for
       permanent storage or sea-dumping .
This programme in essence would achieve the objective mentioned above at
( l ) and could also mark the starting point for achieving objective ( 2 ).
Programme
It covers :
- a phase for the design and construction of a pilot facility ; "
- a phase for the research and experimental operation of the facility ;
- a phase for techno-economic comparisons with other incinerators , as
   well as comparisons with wet techniques for processing plutonium-
    containing waste ;
- exploratory tests concerning recovery of the plutonium held by the ash.
Community contribution :   1.5 million u . a. over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 21
 Slieet $7o . 5
 Testing and evaluation of the properties of various potential materials
 for immobilizing hi gh-activity waste in a solid form
 Several Community countries are engaged in programmes on the long-term
 immobilization of highly radioactive waste ( fissicn products ) in glasses
 and similar materials .    Such work requires an assessment of the likely
 long-term physicochemical
                  ~  ">
                             stability of' these materials , which can only
"be forthcoming lay employing methods using " accelerated" tests .    Such
 methods are tricky and expensive to use , so that some concentration of
 the experiments in a few laboratories would enable duplication to be
 avoided and truly comparative results to be obtained .
Programme
 It covers :
 1.   The development of a common set of equipment for measuring:
                                        >      •
      - the leaching rate of fission products and actinides ;
      - the rate of volatilization of fission products and actinides from
        the solid-phase storage places .
2.   A Community study of the effect on the integrity of the immobilization
      substances (matrices ) of :            '
      - temperature j
                ■   ■¥ "
      - temperature gradients ;
      - temperature variations ;
      - ionizing radiations (neutron , alpha , beta, gamma);
     - redaction and temperature combined.
Community contribution :    0.3 million u.a . over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                          22
 Sheet No . 6
 Sto"PC-go. of solidified rad~. oaotive eoll 6--w£nt' e in engineered B~fcru.ctr.rpg
 As soon assit has teen conditioned into a suitable solid form , high-
 activity waste will , according to the experts , "be stored for several
 decades in special structures ("engineered structures"), located at the
 site of the reprocessing plant producing the waste .* This will enable
 it to he partially cooled off through radioactive decay and make the
 subsequent operations of handling , conveyence to the permanent storage
 sites or disposal much easier .
Such structures must isolate the waste stored over the required period ,
 remove the radioactive decay heat of these products and enable them to
"be recovered for disposal .       They must combine maximum reliability with
minimum surveillance requirements .
In some Member States said at the Commission conceptual or pre-project
 studies are being conducted in order to assess various possible solutions
 ( individual , modular or collective structures for holding the containers ;
 cooling with air or water , etc .).
The programme proposed below should facilitate exchanges of information
 on the work in hand in the various countries and should ensure optimum
 integration of the stage of storage in engineered structures into the
 sequence of different operations that constitute radioactive waste
management 5 it should also provide the necessary background for defining
the Community 's criteria for such facilities .
"The annual volume of solidified waste produced remains quite low , at
   about 30 m3 for a 500 metric tons per annum pi exit .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 23 -
Programme
- Comparison or. conceptual studies or under way in the Member countries ,
  in the Commission and outside the Community .   Main conclusions .
- Study of various strategies for keying the stage of " storage in
  engineered structures " into the sequence of operations which start
  with the production of high-activity liquid waste "by the reprocessing
  plants and finish with permanent storage in geological formations .
- Recommendations .  .
Community contribution :  0.2 million u.a. over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 24 -
Sheet No , 7
Disposal of radioactive waste in geological foraations
1 , Experts are practically unanimous that high-activity and alpha-
active waste must "be permanently stored in suitable geological structures .
Certain types of geological structure are "by nature capable of offering
all the necessary conditions for storage of this kind , including :
- saline formations ;
- granités ;
- "basalts ;
- clays .
It is , of course , true that not every geological structure corresponding
to these types is likely to he suitable .    Such structures must also
satisfy a number of criteria , such as an adequate stability of the
impermeable strata isolating the formation and strength of the structure
for the making of cavities .
As so often happens , the available data are inadequate and , what is more ,
are not at the same status for the various geological structures . A
further point to consider is that there already is a storage site in one
of the Community Member countries and it would be an advantage to benefit
from its experience .
2.    It would therefore be desirable :
- to catalogue first those geological formations in Community countries
   which Eiight be suitable for storage purposes ;
- to assess , bearing in mind other factors ond the economic and social
   background in particular , the number and nature of the most suitable
   sites from amongst -Lhe sites in the catalogue ;
- to ascertain whether such sites can be used normally for one or two
   decades or whether temporary storage must be accepted for a fairly
   lengthy period (50-100 years );
- to Etudy the storage conditions and the possibilities of recovering
   waste which will be assigned into such sites .
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 25 -
A specific study of a few geological structures and the experimental
operating of them over several years ere the only likely means of
achieving these objectives . A joint study would also obviate the need
for each Member country to develop straightaway its own designs and
techniques for such storage facilities . It could even possibly
constitute the first step towards the setting-up of Connunity sites , in
particular through mutual exchanges of waste on an experimental basis
between the countries where the demonstration sites would be installed .
3 * It is proposed that there should be a Community "disposal of waste in
geological formations" project , financed partly by the Community and
managed by an ad hoc committee answerable to the Committee on Programme
Management mentioned in the Introduction , acting under the authority of the
Commission .
- Preparation by the specialized bodies in the Community of a list (or
map) of the geological formations located in the territories of the
Community Member countries which would be of a suitable type for a
permanent storage .    This work could be based on the comprehensive
cartographic study carried out by Euratom from 19^3 to 1963 .
- Execution of preliminary studies on the selected sites , where possible in
different geologioal formations , while making allowances for the different
levels of information , based on the foregoing study and for which the
competent national authorities would be ready to agree to the building of
an experimental storage site ; such studies have to form part of the
safety file required for obtaining the necessary permits .
- Building of demonstration sites in the light of the completed studies .
These sites would be designed from the start as though the storage had to
be permanent but with the possibility of, recovering the waste over .a
certain period . They will be managed , from the technical standpoint , by
an ad hoc committee answerable to the Committee on Programme Management
mentioned in the introduction, acting under the authority of the
Commission . Such sites would at this stage remain the responsibility of
each State concerned .
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 26 -
- Sites already set up "by the Member States could , where the Government
  i3 willing , be associated, with this project .
- The main aim of these activities is to make possible the development of
  practical experience associated with a permanent exchange of information
  from which all the Member States would benefit , to determine the
  technical and economic conditions of such storage facilities and to
  improve the necessary geological knowledge .    They would further nijke
  the disposal of waste in geological formations more readily acceptable
  by public opinion .
Conmnity contribution s    12 m u.a . over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 27 -
Sheet Ho . 8
Storage of gaseous wastes
So far effluent gases produced by nuclear plants have largely been
discharged into the atmosphere where they become diluted and rapidly
disappear through radioactive decay . The quantities of krypton-85 and
tritium produced and their slow decay show that an aotion ought to be
undertaken in the near future to reduce the effect of these elements
upon the environment .
Methods must thus be developed which will first . allow the krypton and
                                                    •*
tritium to be contained and isolated and then permit appropriate steps
to be taken towards environmental safety in connection with their long-
term storage . To this end , a method of immobilizing gas bubbles in the
pores of water- and air-tight solid supports is to be studied for the
purpose of finally enabling products to be stored in the solid form .
The safety of such a technology must be compared with that of storage
in pressurized containers on land or at sea .
In the case of tritium , these studies are to be supplemented by work on
recovery of tritium from tritiated water .    Hhis gas is at present
emitted by nuclear plants , with other effluent gases , or to a large
extent , in solution in liquid wastes . „
Programme
- Study of a separation method for krypton-85 and tritium from other
  effluent gases .
- Study of tritium recovery from solution in liquid wastes .
- Development and evaluation of a method of immobilizing krypton-85 and
  tritium in a solid support .
- Comparative study and evaluation on matters relating to environmental
  risks from :
  - storage in solid supports ;
  - storage on land in pressurized containers j
  - discharging at sea in pressurized containers .
Community contribution :  0.2 m u.a» over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 28 -
 Sheet ZTo » 9
 Separation and recycling of long-lived wastes (actinides )
 The radioactive wastes produced by the nuclear industry consist of
 fission products , actinides*, and activation products .    Only the
 second of these , as a result of their very long half-lives , create
 problems of isolation for millions of years in the human environment .
 Consequently , the problem of waste disposal would be greatly simplified if
 actinides could be separated from the other wastes and destroyed , e.g. "by
 being burnt as a complementary fuel in nuclear power plants which would
 convert them into short-lived products or inactive products .
 Such a plan of action implies :
 (a ) research in the field of nuclear chemistry aimed at developing a
        practically one-hundred-per-cent efficient procedure for separating
        actinides from uranium and fission products , while ensuring that no
        significant increase in the total volume of wastes is thereby
        caused ;
 (b ) research into production methods for actinide-based fuel elements ;
 ( c ) research in the field of reactor physics to help improve knowledge of
        in-pile destruction of these products* and to allow the increase in
        potential of these isotopes in various reactors to be assessed .
 For these reasons , the Commission and the national experts reoommend that :
 - the endeavour of the various Community bodies , including Commission
     laboratories which are working on the chemical separation and trans­
    mutation in connection with the JRC 's multiannual research programme ,
    be unified }
 - the technical demands of such a plan of action nnd its chances of success
    be evaluated in detail , and if these chances prove good , the extent to
     which it will contribute in the long term to protecting the environment
     be thoroughly assessed .
* Various isotopes of thorium , protactinium , uranium , neptunium ,
   plutonium , ainericium and curium .
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 29 -
                 \
These assessments nevertheless require e. knowledge of certain data^which
are still missing# Consequently , the study of the plan of action proposed
here should rely upon an experimental programme which is restricted' at this
stage to the essential topics .   The programme outlined here answers all
these concerns s
Prorranme
                         \
- Assessment of the various technical possibilities for separating actinides .
  Determination of the quantity of actinide products in the various types
  of reactors according to the different treatment processes .
- Choice of the conditions needed for in-pi le destruction of recycled
  actinides .
- Analysis "by the critical path technique of the potential hazards presented
  by actinides in wastes .
- Development of criteria regarding the level of which plutonium
  contamination ought to be reduced before storage .
- Comparison between the hazards brought about by actinide separation and
  its potential benefit .
Community contributions    0.76 m u.a . over five years .
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 30 -
PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A PROGRAMME CONCERNING THE
MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE OP RADIOACTIVE WASTE UNDER THE PROGRAMME OF
ACTION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON THE EFTIROMENT
The Council of the European Communities ,
HAVING regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy-
Community , and in particular Article 7 thereof ;
HAVING regard to the proposal presented by the Commission after consulting
the Scientific and Technical Committee ;
HAVING regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament ;
HAVING regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ;
WHEREAS the programme of action of the European Communities on the
environment , approved by the Council of the European Communities and the
representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting in the
Council in the Declaration of 22 November 1973*, underlines the need for
Community measures on the management and storage of radioactive waste
and whereas it lays down the content of and procedures for implementing
such measures ;
WHEREAS in the near future nuclear energy is destined to become one of the
main sources of energy alongside traditional sources , and whereas its
specific nature requires permanent monitoring of its potential effects and
intensified measures and research to protect the environment**;
WHEREAS the development of nuclear energy inevitably involves the production
of radioactive waste , and whereas it is therefore essential to find
effective solutions which are capable of ensuring the safety and protection
of both man and his environment against the potential hazards involved in
the management of such wastes
*0J No C 112 , 20 December 1973 , Chapter 7 » Section 2 .
**0J No         ,                      , R/2996/74 (ENV 137/EKER 48 ), Council
  Meeting held on 7 November 1974 *
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 31 -
HAS ADOPTED THIS D3CISI0N
                                        I
                                   Article 1
A programme on the environment relating to the management of radioactive
waste shall be adopted in the form set out in Annexes I and II for a
five-year period from 1 January 1975 *    The Annexes form an integral
part of this Decision .
                                   Article 2
The upper limit for expenditure commitments and for staff necessary for
the implementation of this programme shall be 19«16 million units of
account and four Community servants , the unit of account being defined
in Article 10 of the financial regulation of 25 April 1973 applicable to
the general budget of the European Communities .
                                   Article 3
The programme set out in Annexes I and II shall be subject to amendment
at the end of the second year , in accordance with the appropriate
procedures •
                                           Done at Brussels .
                                           For the Council
                                           The President
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 32 -
mnsK i                                                       .
ACTION IN THE FIELD OF THE ENTIROMENT t
MAWAGBIENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE ,
A maximum amount of 19«16 million units of account shnll "be allocated to
this programme (the number of staff "being fixed at four ).
The aim of the programme is the joint development and finalization of a
system of management of radioactive waste produced by the nuclear
industry which , at its various stages , will provide man and his environment
with the best protection possible .
In order to allow the Commission to present suitable proposals at the
earliest opportunity , the programme seeks to promote :
A,   Work to solve certain technological problems posed by the ...
   ' processing , storage and disposal of radioactive waste
Processing ï ■ ■ ■                    '                  "
- Medium-activity solid waste :   coating with plastic resins ;
- High-activity solid waste : decontamination and conditioning of
   irradiated fuel element cladding ;              ...
- High-activity solid waste : immobilization of calcined waste from
   fission products in a metal matrix ;
- Solid waste contaminated with plutonium :   incineration method ;
- Comparative study of the properties of various materials suitable for
  immobilization of high-activity waste .
Storage and disposal
- Storage of solidified radioactive waste in engineered structures ;
- Disposal of radioactive xiraste in geological formations ;
- Storage of gaseous waste .
 ---pagebreak---                                           \
                                       - 33 -
Study of an advanced management model
                                                                      /
- Separation and recycling of long-lived wast© (actiriides ).
B. Work to contribute towards the definition of a general frarcework
    (legal t aariinistrativo , financial ) for the implementation of measures
   concerning radioactive waste storage and disposal :
– Review of problems posed by radioactive waste management which are
  not solved under existing international legal , administrative and
  financial provisions and proposals for solutions }
- Study of principles which should govern radioactive waste management#
AHUES II
TABLE SHOWING? UPPER LBIIT FOR EXPENDITURE (AMD STJ1FF )
        Programme
                                 Commitments (in                     Staff
                                millions of u*a. )
  Management of radio'
                                 -  19.16                              4
  active waste