Lok Sabha Question No. 539 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-20
Subject: Disposal of Nuclear Waste
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: KALIKESH NARAYAN SINGH DEO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 539

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2016

## DISPOSAL OF NUCLEAR WASTE

## 539. SHRI KALIKESH N. SINGH DEO: DR. KULAMANI SAMAL:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the amount of nuclear waste being generated from various nuclear power   installations in the country and the method of nuclear waste disposal being followed;
- (b) the details of sites that are being used for nuclear waste disposal;
- (c) whether an environmental assessment has been carried out for sites being used for nuclear waste disposal and if so, the details thereof and if not, the   reasons therefor;
- (d) whether there are any environmental repercussions associated with the current method of nuclear waste disposal and if so, the details thereof and the action the Government proposes to take in this regard; and
- (e) whether the Government has identified/is identifying a deep geological repository for storage of future waste and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR, PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) A comprehensive radioactive waste management system is established taking into account the  operational  capability  for  the  management  of  radioactive  waste  and  an  independent regulatory  capability  for  its  overview.  The  radioactive  solid  wastes  generated  during operation  and  maintenance  of  nuclear  power  plants  are  segregated  and  volume  reduced prior to its disposal. Disposal of waste is carried out in specially constructed structures such as  stone  lined  trenches,  reinforced  concrete  trenches  and  tile  holes.  These  disposal systems  are  designed  on  multi-barrier  principle  for  ensuring  effective  containment  of radioactivity. The areas where the disposal structures are located are kept under constant surveillance with the help of bore-wells laid out in a planned manner. This policy is on par with international practices following the guidelines of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The quantity of low and intermediate level waste to be stored at site is about 0.15 cubic meters/year/MW.
- (b) The low level radioactive solid waste generated during O & M of nuclear power plants and other  nuclear  facilities  is  disposed  in  specially  constructed  structures  such  as  stone  lined trenches, reinforced concrete trenches and tile holes within the boundary of facilities after volume reduction. These disposal facilities  are  co-located  near  reactor/nuclear  facilities  to avoid transportation of radioactive waste through public domain.

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- (c) Environmental survey laboratories (ESLs) are installed at all atomic power plant / radioactive waste management sites.  ESLs carry out pre-operational survey around the plant site up to a  distance  of  30  km  radius  to  establish  the  pre-operational  baseline  radioactivity  levels around  the  site.  During  operation  period,  environmental  samples  such  as  air,  water,  soil, vegetations,  agricultural  produces,  milk,  meat  and  other  dietary  products  are  collected periodically and analyzed for radioactivity to assess the impact of operation of the plant on the  surrounding  environment  and  the  public.  ESLs  are  equipped  with  highly  sensitive instruments  and  sufficient  infrastructure  to  analyze  extremely  low  levels  of  radioactivity  in environmental  samples.  The  radioactivity  levels  in  environmental  samples  are  compared with pre-operational values in the respective matrix to ensure that there is no unacceptable build up of radioactivity in the surrounding environment.
- (d) No, Sir. The current method of nuclear waste disposal is at par with international practices and there are no environmental repercussions associated with current method of nuclear waste disposal.

The  studies  carried  out  at  various  power  stations  /  waste  management  sites  have  clearly indicated  that      there  is  no  unacceptable  build  up  of  radioactivity  in  the  environment.  The annual  dose  computed  to  the  general  public  are  also  well  below  the  limits  prescribed  by regulatory body and well below the dose due to natural background. Hence the operation of the atomic power plants / waste management plants does not lead to any adverse impact on environment.

- (e) A closed nuclear fuel cycle is being followed in India, where, spent fuel is reprocessed and most of the  component of spent fuel  is  recycled  as  a  fuel  for  future  reactors.  However,  a small volume of residual waste containing fission products and minor actinides are left, which is termed as High level radioactive liquid waste. This waste is converted into glass through a process,  called  vitrification.  The  vitrified  waste  is  stored  for  an  interim  period  in  a  Solid Storage Surveillance Facility (SSSF) for cooling prior to its eventual disposal in underground geological  disposal  facility.  This  policy  is  on  par  with  international  practices  following  the guidelines of International Atomic Energy  Agency  (IAEA).  With the advent of  new technologies based on partitioning of waste, where long -lived radioactive waste constituents  are  separated  prior  to  immobilizing  them  in  the  glass  matrices,  the  need  of underground geological disposal facility will reduce to a great extent and is not foreseen in near  future.  The  long  lived  radio  isotopes  is  planned  to  be  burnt  in  fast  reactors  or Accelerator Driven Sub Critical systems to get it  converted into short- lived species. Main fission  products  like  Cs-137  &  Sr-90  present  in  the  waste  are  recovered  using  in  house developed technologies and deployed for societal applications covering medical applications,  external  irradiators  and  other  medical  applications.    This  is  accomplished  for the  first  time  in  the  world  by  India,  where  radioactive  waste  is  regarded  as  a  useful  byproduct.

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