Radioactive waste management and decommissioning

The National organisation for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials (ONDRAF, Organisme national des déchets radioactifs et des matières fissiles enrichies) is responsible for the management of radioactive waste in Belgium.

ONDRAF is under the guidance of the Minister of the Economy and was created as a legal public institution in accordance with article 179, section 2 of the Law of 8 August 1980, amended by the Law of 11 January 1991.

Duties of ONDRAF

Management of radioactive waste

ONDRAF is responsible for the following tasks relating to the management of radioactive waste:

• the transport of radioactive waste (conditioned or not conditioned);
• keeping a record of the radioactive waste across Belgium;
• the processing and conditioning of radioactive waste on behalf of producers without the approved equipment. The processing and conditioning of radioactive waste are entrusted to Belgoprocess SA, a subsidiary of ONDRAF;
• the qualification and monitoring of the operations required for the conditioning of radioactive waste by producers with the approved equipment. Equipment is approved by ONDRAF. Processing and conditioning are carried out by the producers themselves;
• the storage of radioactive waste outside of the producer’s facilities;
• the disposal of radioactive waste outside of the producer’s facilities.

Dismantling of nuclear facilities

ONDRAF is also responsible for tasks relating to the dismantling of certain nuclear facilities.

The Belgian Government entrusts ONDRAF with the management of the dismantling of the former “Eurochemic” nuclear facility at the Belgoprocess (Dessel) site and the former “Waste processing” division of the Energy Research Centre (Mol).

The day-to-day realisation of work at these sites has been transferred to subsidiary Belgoprocess nv.

The dismantling of nuclear sites by ONDRAF involves the following tasks:

• the collection and evaluation of all of the elements required for waste management;
• the programme for the dismantling of facilities;
• the implementation of dismantling programmes if the owner does not carry this out.

Management of technical liabilities

ONDRAF is also responsible for the management of the technical liabilities of the Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN) and the National Institute for Radioelements (IRE).

Where does radioactive waste come from?

The nuclear reactors used for the industrial production of electricity produce radioactive waste. However, this waste can also come from medical applications in hospitals, scientific research at universities or research centres and the use of radioactive sources in farming or in industry.  

What happens to radioactive waste in Belgium?

NIRAS distinguishes between three types of radioactive waste:

• Type A: low level or intermediate level short-lived radioactive waste.
• Type B: low level or intermediate level long-lived radioactive waste.
• Type C: high level long-lived nuclear waste.

The Council of Ministers of 23 June 2006 decided to store type A radioactive waste in a final surface facility in the municipality of Dessel.

For radioactive waste of types B and C, a solution is being sought for their geological storage in a subterranean facility. ONDRAF is researching this in cooperation with the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre.

Which sites will be dismantled in Belgium?

The following nuclear sites will be dismantled in Belgium:

• The site of the former Eurochemic nuclear facilities at Mol.
• The site of the former “Waste processing” division at Mol.

The sites are managed by Belgoprocess.