Radioactive Waste Management: National radioactive waste storage facility COVRA

The policy of the Dutch government with respect to the management of radioactive waste includes the storage of all radioactive wastes at one surface facility for the next 50 to 100 years.

The Central Organization for Radioactive Waste (COVRA) has been established for this purpose. COVRA has constructed and operates facilities for the treatment and storage of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes at Borsele. In addition COVRA recently finished the construction of a facility (HABOG) for the storage of high level wastes at the same location. The facilities can store all nuclear waste that will be produced in 100 years.

The HABOG is 90 meters long and its width is about 45 meters. Even with a hypothetical inundation of the COVRA premises no water will be able to enter the building. It will resist gas explosions, airplanes and earthquakes.
The building has six storage modules, half of which is for heat producing waste and half for non-heat producing waste.

Fig.1 : HABOG building during the past construction phase.

Fig.2 : COVRA premises. The HABOG building is in the right-top corner of the picture (number 4 on the map in figure 4). Note: the building is orange.

The waste storage buildings currently in use on the COVRA premises are for medium and low level wastes. These buildings comprise the so-called LOG storage facility (12,000 square meters). There are 3 modules (partly) in use and if needed a fourth module can be erected on the premises.

Fig.3 : Interior of a LOG building (number 3 on the map in figure 4)

Fig.4 : Map of situation, after 100 years of operation

More information on waste management in the Netherlands:
NRG, Radiation & Environment
Mr. A.D. Poley, PO Box 25, 1755 ZG Petten, Netherlands
Tel +31-224564333, Fax +31-224568491, Email: poley@nrg.eu

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