Management of radioactive materials in Italy

Giulia Abbate - ENEA

Technologies and facilities for Fission and Nuclear Material Management Technical Unit

V International Exhibition and Conference AtomEco 2011,

Moscow, Oct. 31 Nov. 1, 2011

Italian Nuclear Programme

New start after Revocative Referendum in 1987. Law n. 99 of July 23rd, 2009 institution of ANS Agency for Nuclear Safety, restructuring of SOGIN and ENEA; Law Decree n. 31 of February 15th, 2010 art. 38 new assignments to ENEA re-building of national research and development framework for nuclear energy; participation in international programmes (GIF, GNEP, INPRO, etc.); Emphasis on: Treatment and storage of spent fuel, Separation and transmutation of radioactive waste.

Italian Nuclear Programme Industrial initiatives and activities ENEL

2006: 2007: acquisition of Slovensk Elektrrne, Slovakia, acquisition of 67% of ENDESA, Spain, agreement with EDF on III Gen Nuclear (Flamanville-3), France, memorandum of understanding with Rosatom, Russia, 2009: 50% joint venture with EDF for construction of four EPR reactors in Italy; Start of construction 2014-2015, operational in 2020. Co-operation agreement of five years. ANSALDO Since 1999, support to design of AP-1000 reactor (4 nuclear power plants in China). SOGIN Since 1999, decommissioning and dismantling of Italian nuclear plants.

Facing the problem of radioactive waste

High concern by public opinion, basic for social acceptance of nuclear energy. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL REPOSITORY FOR CLASS II AND CLASS III NUCLEAR WASTE (MLW and LLW); PARTICIPATION TO INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES FOR CLASS I NUCLEAR WASTE (HLW). This part of Italian Nuclear Programme is still into force (not postponed, due to Fukushima accident and new anti-nuclear referendum in Italy in June 2011).

Decommissioning of nuclear plants and management of radioactive waste

SOGIN S.p.A. SOciet Gestione Impianti Nucleari (State Company for Management of Nuclear Plants),
founded nov. 1999, Law Decree n. 79, March 16th, 1979, formerly a company of ENEL group, presently full Government shared (Ministry of Economy Development, since 3/11/2000).

Mission: dismantling and safe keeping of nuclear plants and facilities (electric power production, research , nuclear fuel cycle). Main objectives: Complete closure of nuclear industrial process, Environmental remediation of nuclear industry sites, Re-using and development of sites and know-how.

Dismantling of nuclear plants and management of radioactive waste

SOGIN
Four nuclear power plants (ex ENEL): Latina, Garigliano, Trino, Caorso; Research facilities, fuel cycle (ex ENEA): EUREX, Bosco Marengo (Saluggia) OPEC, IPU (Casaccia), ITREC (Rotondella).

Dismantling of nuclear plants and management of radioactive waste

Present decommissioning strategy Treatment and conditioning of all radioactive waste at sites, Accelerated dismantling of nuclear power plants and facilities, Sending spent fuel abroad for reprocessing within 2020. Due to delays in authorization procedures for a National Repository, produced waste materials will be temporarily stored at sites.

Caorso nuclear power plant

BWR, 870 MWe, 1970-1977, built by Ansaldo Group, GE license, Customer: ENEL Dec. 1981, first critical, operational until Oct. 1986, four fuel cycles, 29 GWh produced, 1987: Referendum: postponement for five years of construction of new plants and operation of present ones. 1990: Gov. deliberation (economic planning): definitive close-down of plant 2000: Gov. Decree (Min. of Industry): accelerated decommissioning 2003-2004: Gov. Decree (Council of Ministries) increased safety and security, speed up of safety procedures and treatment of all spent fuel and radioactive materials, reprocessing of spent-fuel abroad (necessarily), storage into a NATIONAL REPOSITORY (to be built).

Decommissioning of Caorso nuclear power plant Radioactive waste According to threshold values of specific activity for different radionuclides (deployability values), radioactive waste is around 3% of total materials obtained from plant dismantling of Caorso NPP:

4.300 m3 (10.000 t) , of which:

Spent fuel: 1.032 fuel elements (190 tons of fuel, structural materials not considered), stored in reactor pools; different burn-up values (four irradiation cycles): 6.728 28.187 MWd/t

Total quantitative evaluation

Main sources of radioactive waste in Italy:
o Operation of nuclear plants and facilities, o Dismantling, o Fuel cycle, o Production and use of radioisotopes (Medicine, Industry). About 60.000 m3, of which: II category waste, about 50.000 m3, III category waste, about 10.000 m3, while I category waste amount is of the order of 1.000 m3.

Inventory of radioactive waste in Italy

STIMA DELL'INVENTARIO DEI RIFIUTI RADIOATTIVI Impianto TRINO CAORSO LATINA GARIGLIANO EUREX ITREC OPEC e PLUTONIO NUCLECO * FN CCR ISPRA CISAM AVOGADRO TOTALE II Categoria Volume (m3) 3.348 4.121 12.665 4.107 3.661 4.312 3.316 5.482 460 9.143 573 534 51.722 Attivit (GBq) 3,30 E+4 8,57 E+3 3,80 E+4 4,10 E+4 4,78 E+4 3,59 E+4 8,59 E+2 3,41 E+3 2,60 E+1 7,70 E+4 6,79 E+3 3,32 E+2 2,93 E+5 1.631 279 1,4 11.999 9,06 E+4 4,69 E+3 6,59 E-3 1,55 E+7 (rif.: www.sogin.it, fonte APAT) III Categoria Volume (m3) 294 331 5.157 670 310 519 1.083 1.724 Attivit (GBq) 1,90 E+6 1,99 E+6 1,53 E+6 8,80 E+5 7,33 E+6 5,40 E+5 4,24 E+5 8,44 E+5

*) I dati per Nucleco sono suscettibili di aumenti in funzione dell'uso dei materiali radioattivi in campo medico-ospedaliero

ENEA role in management of radioactive materials Radioactive materials not from nuclear power plants Harvesting, treatment, conditioning, storage (by Contract Agreements to Nucleco S.p.A.): o Management of waste close to producing source; o Safe transport to NUCLECO site; o Acceptance, characterization, labelling, filling, treatment at Casaccia plants and laboratories (ENEA); o Interim storage, waiting for final disposal to National Repository or decay.

NUCLECO S.p.A. main activities

Treatment (minimization), conditioning, temporary disposal of radioactive liquid and solid waste onon behalf of a third part. Dismantling of plant sections, components and drainage of (nuclear and conventional) sites; Design, realization and practice of dismantling plants and waste treatment, on behalf of a third party. Radiologic and chemical characterization of nuclear and conventional sites, materials and waste; Development and qualification of conditioning processes; Technological services (safety analysis, operational radioprotection, etc).

ENEA assignments

National Integrated Service for radioactive sanitary and industrial waste (Contract Agreement to NUCLECO company); ENEA-NUCLECO and Contracts Management; ENEA-SOGIN

Laboratory of innovative systems for safe disposal of nuclear waste. Advisor to National Government; Commitment in various International Organizations and Initiatives, including ARIUS ERDO-WG.

LLW and MLW. Technology Park and National Repository

Surface facility, Based within a Technology Park (R&D and education in decommissioning and management of nuclear materials, national and international programmes), to be designed according to international best practices, to host definitively about 80.000 m3 of LLW and MLW, interim-storage of about 12.500 m3 of HLW, set-up in co-operation with Research Organizations, Universities, Industries, etc., well integrated with economy systems of research and local territory.

HLW.

ARIUS ERDO-WG

Since 2002 (ARIUS year of foundation),

ENEA is committed participate in

ARIUS Association for Regional and International Underground Storage Working Group ERDO - European Repository Development Organization

ARIUS - Association for Regional and International Underground Storage

Multi-national approach to the back-end of nuclear fuel cycle

New and expanding nuclear programmes necessity of developing a credible waste management strategy prerequisite for public acceptance of nuclear power Deep disposal of spent fuel/high-level radioactive waste. Dual-track approach: o o national repository, facility shared with other nations. Arabian Gulf, SE Asia, Europe ERDO-WG Programme (European funds)

ERDO - European Repository Development Organization

Last meeting was hosted by ENEA, Rome, Sept. 2011.

No-profit International Consortium, Members States: Austria, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Roumania, Slovenia, Secretary: ARIUS (Switzerland), Administration: COVRA (Agency for Waste, The Netherlands). Legal studies, contacts, fund raising, market research, economic estimations, business plans, etc., PERSPECTIVE: constitution of ERDO Company (proposed under Swiss Law) Identify a suitable area for a geologic repository within member States territories, carry out all actions to build a working repository. Possible membership is being evaluated.

ERDO WG (2009, start of activities):

Thank you for your kind attention!