Management of irradiated fuels in Belgium

Below is a brief history of the actions undertaken in Belgium with regards to the management of irradiated fuels from Belgian reactors.

• Initial stages of reprocessing
• Follow-up reprocessing agreements
• Parliamentary debate
• Execution of the Resolution by the Federal Government

Initial stages of reprocessing

In accordance with the guidance issued at the time by the Belgian authorities, between 1976 and 1978 Synatom SA concluded three agreements with the French company Cogéma, which operated a reprocessing facility in The Hague (France).

In 1976, two agreements were concluded for the initial irradiated fuel waste from Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2. This comprised a total of 40 tonnes of uranium for the UP2 reprocessing facility at The Hague (France). This irradiated fuel was reprocessed in 1981 and 1982.

In 1978, Synatom signed a third agreement with Cogéma for the irradiated fuel waste from Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2 during the period 1977-1979. This comprised a total of 100 tonnes of uranium for the UP2 reprocessing facility at The Hague (France). This irradiated fuel was reprocessed until 1985.

The uranium recovered under these three contacts was sent to the enrichment plant. The separated plutonium was initially used for the manufacture of new fissile materials for use in fast-breeder reactors. Another part of the separated plutonium was used for the production of Mox fuels at the Belgonucleaire facility. These fuels were reused in Belgian nuclear power plants.

The radioactive waste (in other words without separated uranium or separated plutonium) remaining after the reprocessing of the content of the first two agreements in 1976 was the property of Cogéma.

The radioactive waste generated from the reprocessing of the content of the third contract was returned to Belgium. Recovery was carried out in the form of vitrified waste.

Follow-up reprocessing agreements

In 1978, Synatom SA signed a fourth agreement. This was a service agreement with Cogéma for the irradiated fuel waste from Tihange 1, Doel 1 and Doel 2. This comprised a total of 530 tonnes of uranium for the UP3 reprocessing facility at The Hague (France). This facility should therefore still be constructed. This irradiated fuel underwent final reprocessing between 1990 and 2000.

The agreement included a cofinancing condition for the investment and operating costs of the UP3 reprocessing facility during the first ten years. Until 2000, Synatom SA was therefore required to pay for the investment and operating of the reprocessing facility.

In 1991, Synatom signed a fifth agreement with Cogéma consisting of two parts:

• The first part concerned irradiated fuel waste from Tihange 1 for the reprocessing of 225 tonnes of uranium during the period 2001-2010.
• The second part consisted of a variable option based on a reprocessing capacity of 120 tonnes of uranium per year from 2001 to 2015, exercised as a whole or in part every five years and notified five years in advance.

Parliamentary debate

In 1992 and 1993, a parliamentary debate was held in Belgium regarding the use of Mox fuels in the country’s nuclear power plants and the opportunity to reprocess irradiated fuels. This resulted in the resolution of the Chamber of 22 December 1993:

The Chamber entrusts the government:

1. “To no longer favour the reprocessing strategy in future in relation to the conditioning and direct disposal (once through cycle). The government can therefore no longer consider reprocessing as the binding reference strategy. It must create the conditions allowing the development of the conditioning strategy and direct disposal as an alternative;
2. For a period of five years:
   • to refrain from executing the reprocessing agreement concluded in 1990;
   • to refrain from exercising the options under this agreement that Belgium should exercise in 1995;
   • to refrain from negotiating any new agreements during this period whilst alternatives are reviewed;
3. To prioritise research and development, including on an international scale, in order to realise the direct disposal of irradiated fuel long term, without reducing the current research programme into the disposal of reprocessing waste using deep layers.
   The annual report sent to the legislative chambers by ONDRAF will present a detailed progress report of these research programmes;
4. To submit within 5 years the elements of a new global situation report, specifically based on the following criteria: non-proliferation, waste management, safety, protection of workers, the population and the environment and economic aspects;
5. In view of the result of legal assessments requested by the Government and the House of Representatives concerning the financial consequences of terminating the reprocessing agreement concluded in 1978, to allow the agreement to run its term. The Government will examine the option of assigning a share of the irradiated fuel reprocessing capacities not yet consigned to The Hague to a third party;
6. To allow the use of plutonium generated under the 1978 reprocessing agreement in the form of MOX fuel in Belgian nuclear power plants, in accordance with the review of possible current destinations and the results of the safety assessment. In particular, this provides that the facilities of the nuclear units are not modified;
7. In the meantime, ensure that:
   • electricity producers and Synatom guarantee safe intermediate storage of the irradiated fuel;
   • electricity producers and Synatom carry out safety research (workers and population) and feasibility studies for the industrial conditioning of the irradiated fuel;
   • all costs, investments and various fees, principal or ancillary, which are connected with the nuclear production of electricity and the nuclear fuel cycle must be borne by the electricity producers. These costs cannot be passed on to third parties;
8. To provide ONDRAF with sufficient financial resources to realise the tasks required within its current area of expertise or other areas if extended;
9. To take any measures necessary within the framework of privatising SNI and its subsidiary Synatom to guarantee the Federal State a right to veto any decision that goes against general interests;
10. To fully exercise, via the intermediary of its administrators, the public authority with which is it vested with regards to public institutions and mixed companies in the energy industry;
11. To make the Federal Nuclear Control Agency operational as soon as possible after the adoption of the draft Law by the legislative chambers;
12. To implement effective monitoring to guarantee the transport safety of irradiated fuels and reprocessing products;
13. To improve the information given to the population in the nuclear sector;
14. To send these conclusions, by way of their execution, to the representatives of all of the concerned bodies in the energy industry.”

Execution of the Resolution by the Federal Government

At its meeting on 24 December 1993, the Council of Ministers accepted this mandate. The various points of the resolution were systematically implemented during the period 1993-1998.  The main points include:

• The suspension of the fifth reprocessing agreement of 1991. The reprocessing capacity option was not exercised during the period 2001-2005.
• The development of ONDRAF’s research and development activities related to geological disposal. Whereas research and development previously focussed on the geological disposal of radioactive waste, activities must be extended to the geological disposal of irradiated fuels.
• The fourth reprocessing agreement, concluded in 1978, has been executed. It seemed impossible to find a third party capable of recovering the capacity provided.
• The issuing of licences for the use of Mox fuels in Tihange 2 and Doel 3.
• The commissioning of storage facilities for irradiated fuels. A centralised dry storage facility was constructed in Doel in 1995 and a centralised storage pond at Tihange in 1997;
• The development of a container for the storage of conditioned irradiated fuels and the realisation of a technical feasibility study and a preliminary draft of a conditioning facility for irradiated fuels.
• The promulgation of the Royal Decree of 10 June 1994 establishing for the State a specific action of Synatom SA, allowing the minister responsible for energy to appoint two representatives to the Board of Directors of Synatom. These representatives can appeal against the decisions of the Board of Directors of Synatom that they deem to be contrary to the thrust of national energy policy, including the objectives of the government concerning the country’s supply.
• In 1998, a summary and evaluation report was prepared reflecting the progress of the activities realised so far by the institutions and companies concerned. Following this report, the Council of Ministers of 4 December 1998 took the following decisions:
  • to terminate the fifth reprocessing agreement of 225 tonnes of uranium, concluded in 1991 between Synatom SA and Cogéma, including the options provided for in this agreement. The termination should be completed by no later than 23 December 1998;
  • to refrain from concluding new reprocessing agreements without the official approval of the government;
  • to prepare a report detailing a full vision of the downstream phase of the nuclear fuel cycle in the desired time (in other words, the phase after the irradiated fuel waste of a reactor).

The termination of the reprocessing agreement of 1991 was carried out. After 1998, the technical validation of the conditioning process has been pursued, along with the economic comparison of the two downstream phase options of the nuclear fuel cycle.