1,150 Cubic Metres of Nuclear Waste Awaits Croatia

Thursday, May 8, 2008

ZAGREB, CROATIA – If Croatia was to take over its share of waste from the Krsko Nuclear Power Plant now, it would have to find a location to store 1,150 cubic metres of dangerous nuclear waste, that is, half of the waste from the power plant that is shared by Slovene’s GEN Energija and Croatia’s Hrvatska Elektroprivreda companies.

Although the deadline for assuming the waste expires only in 15 years, the question is whether there is an adequate location where the Croatian government would store the waste which has been stocked up in Krsko since the plant started up in 1981.

- The co-owners are obliged to take care of half of the waste after the working expectancy of the plant, by 2023 at the latest – the power plant’s spokeswoman, Ida Novak Jerela, said.

2,300 cubic metres of waste generated in 23 years

Jerele said that by the end of 2007, 2,300 cubic metres of waste had accumulated in the temporary storage in Krsko, half of which is Croatian waste.

- This is the agreement reached by Croatia and Slovenia in 2003 with an agreement on the regulating of status and other legal rights related to investments in the Krsko nuclear power plant, its exploitation and disassembling – the spokeswoman said.

The 2,300 cubic metres of waste has been generated since 1981 and is currently stored in special facilities and barrels within the plant. Croatia assuming the waste represents a great challenge for the country’s ecology. An even greater challenge for the Croatian government will be storing the waste that will be generated in the coming dozen years.

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