A party wanting to construct a repository for spent nuclear fuel – in this case, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) – must submit a licence application to the Swedish Government. SKB has submitted three applications in total, namely:
- an application under the Act on Nuclear Activities for CLAB (an interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel) and an encapsulation facility in Oskarshamn (submitted in November 2006 and supplemented in 2009; the application was submitted again in full on 16 March 2011)
- an application under the Act on Nuclear Activities for a spent fuel repository, including the site and method (submitted on 16 March 2011)
- an application under the Swedish Environmental Code covering the entire repository system (CLAB, encapsulation facility and repository; submitted on 16 March 2011)
The Government has assigned the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority to examine SKB’s applications for compliance with current legislation. This review will take at least two years. When this process is finished, we will submit a statement of our views to the Government. Here, we will propose that the Government either grant a licence to SKB or reject its applications.
Step-wise review process
Even if the Authority should propose to the Government after its review that SKB should be granted a licence for the repository, the process will not end here. Designing, constructing and commissioning a nuclear facility such as a repository are long-term processes that take place in steps, as also recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (the IAEA) and which are in compliance with international practice.
The step-wise review process comprises the following steps:
- A licence is issued to construct, own and operate the facilities
- A licence is issued for commencement of the construction phase
- A licence is issued for test operation
- A licence is issued for regular operation
- A licence is issued for decommissioning and/or closure
The first step is now being taken
On 16 March 2011, SKB submitted its licence applications to the Authority, whereby the first step of the review process could be initiated. This work involves examining the applications to enable us to recommend to the Government to either approve or reject SKB’s applications.
Even if this review only comprises the first step of the licensing process, it is an important step as it represents the final opportunity for broad public involvement through the environmental impact assessment process, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority’s referring the applications nationally for consultation and a possible municipal veto on the part of the two municipal authorities concerned: Oskarshamn and Östhammar.
The first step is also of key significance as several important decisions are to be taken, for example relating to the selection of method and site. It will not be possible for SKB’s applications to present all details in terms of construction and operation. On the other hand, SKB must demonstrate its capability to construct and run the facility in fulfilment of the requirements imposed and so that the facility can be constructed in a way ensuring a sufficient level of safety and security after the repository has been closed in the future.
For this reason, this step will include a strong focus on key assumptions in the analysis of long-term safety. Subsequent steps of the process focus more on the actual implementation of the project and above all involve SKB needing to demonstrate to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority in each step of the construction and operation phases that the assumptions serving as the basis of the licence are still relevant and that the implementation thus far is in compliance with the conditions issued with the licence.
The applications will be examined by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority and the Environmental Court
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority will assess SKB’s choice of site and method. This implies that we will review SKB’s comprehensive application documents and determine whether statutory requirements imposed on radiation safety are fulfilled. The Authority will engage qualified experts to assist in the review work, including in-house staff and expert consultants. These experts have skills in construction engineering, plant technology, geology, hydrology, chemistry, materials chemistry, materials engineering, social sciences, technical physics and radioecology.
In parallel with our review, the Environmental Court will examine SKB’s application under the Swedish Environmental Code. Our statement of views is among the documentation that will help the Court in its work. When the Environmental Court has finished its review, it will submit a statement of its own views to the Government.
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority's regulations
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority imposes high standards on the repository being designed in a way that is sound in terms of nuclear safety and radiation protection for human beings and the environment. The repository must be designed so that the annual risk from the repository does not exceed one-tenth of the level of risk people are exposed to from naturally occurring radiation in the environment. The annual risk is based on international guidelines and harmonises with other countries’ requirements imposed on annual risk.
The Authority’s nuclear safety and radiation protection standards imply that the risks for people and the environment must not be greater for future generations than what we accept today.
The Authority also imposes requirements on the organisation that will design and run the spent fuel repository.