A Safe Mercury Repository a Translation of the Official Report SOU 2001:58
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A Safe Mercury Repository A translation of the Official Report SOU 2001:58 Report 8105 · jan 2003 ORDER Order Phone No: 08-505 933 40 Order Fax No: 08-505 933 99 E-mail: [email protected] Address: CM Gruppen Box 110 93 S-161 11 Bromma Internet: www.naturvardsverket.se/bokhandeln NATURVÅRDSVERKET Phone: 08-698 10 00 E-mail: [email protected] Address: Naturvårdsverket,106 48 Stockholm ISBN 91-620-8105-5.pdf ISSN 0282-7298 Digital Publication Only Translation: Maxwell Arding © Naturvårdsverket 2003 English translation of the Swedish Government Official Report 2001:58 produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency To the Minister of the Environment On 9 December 1999 the government decided to appoint a person charged with the task of coordinating and conducting a commission of enquiry into the progress made towards long- term storage of waste containing mercury in a deep bedrock repository. Kjell Larsson, Minister of the Environment, appointed Director-General Lars Högberg for this purpose. Experts are assisting the commission. Nina Cromnier (Deputy Director at the Ministry of the Environment) and Björn Södermark (Head of Section at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) were appointed experts from 20 March 2000 and Professor Bert Allard (Örebro University), Professor Ivars Neretnieks (Royal Institute of Technology) and Stig Wingefors, Ph.D (Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate) were appointed from 11 September 2000. Nina Nordengren, Associate Judge of Appeal, was appointed secretary on 7 February 2000. The Commission's report has been given the name "The Mercury Repository Commission Report" (1999:01). We submitted a memorandum entitled "Problem analysis and action plan for further progress – a basis for discussion" on 21 December 2001. The commission hereby presents its report, "A Safe Mercury Repository" (SOU 2001:58). Work on the report has been conducted in close consultation with the experts involved and the report is therefore written in the first person plural. The commission's task has been completed. Stockholm, 25 June 2001 Lars Högberg /Nina Nordengren English translation of the Swedish Government Official Report 2001:58 produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Contents Summary ................................................................................................................................... 4 Draft legislation ........................................................................................................................ 6 1. Draft Ordinance amending the Hazardous Waste Ordinance (1996:971).................. 6 2. Draft Ordinance amending the Environmentally Hazardous Activities and Health Protection Ordinance (1998:899) ...................................................................................... 8 1 Background to the report ................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Government policy on mercury .................................................................................. 9 1.2 Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report 4752....................................... 10 1.2.1 Contents of the report ........................................................................................ 10 1.2.2 Outcome of the consultative process................................................................. 11 2 Purpose and organisation of the commission .............................................................. 13 2.1 Terms of reference ..................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Organisation of the commission................................................................................ 13 2.3 Arrangement of the report ........................................................................................ 13 3 Survey of existing and future mercury waste .............................................................. 15 3.1 Owners and quantities (stored and accumulating in different timeframes)......... 15 3.1.1 Batteries............................................................................................................... 17 3.2 The chemical form of mercury waste ....................................................................... 17 4 International perspective............................................................................................... 19 4.1 EU ................................................................................................................................ 19 4.2 The Nordic region....................................................................................................... 20 4.3 Germany/the United Kingdom.................................................................................. 20 4.4 The USA ...................................................................................................................... 21 5 Technical and environmental aspects of a deep bedrock repository......................... 22 5.1 Objectives for protection of health and environment............................................. 22 5.2 Waste forms suitable for final storage...................................................................... 23 5.3 Treatment and processing mercury waste ............................................................... 24 6 Comparison with organisational solutions for management of nuclear waste......... 27 6.1 Nuclear waste solutions as a potential model........................................................... 27 6.1.1 Division of responsibility between the state/nuclear power industry ............ 27 6.1.2 Funding ............................................................................................................... 28 6.1.3 Joint system for operating waste from nuclear power plants ........................ 29 6.1.4 Results ................................................................................................................. 29 6.2 Analysis – similarities/differences between nuclear waste and mercury waste.... 30 6.2.1 Similarities .......................................................................................................... 30 6.2.2 Differences........................................................................................................... 30 6.3 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 31 7 Legal aspects of a deep bedrock repository – an outline ............................................ 33 7.1 The permit application procedure ............................................................................ 33 7.2 Legal responsibility .................................................................................................... 33 English translation of the Swedish Government Official Report 2001:58 produced by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 7.3 Legislative potential ................................................................................................... 34 7.4 Could EC law constitute an obstacle to establishment of a deep bedrock repository in Sweden?................................................................................................. 35 7.5 Could EC law oblige Sweden to accept and store mercury waste from other countries?..................................................................................................................... 35 7.6 Fiscal and competition law considerations............................................................... 35 8 Factors we have considered and our conclusions........................................................ 37 8.1 Premises forming the basis for our considerations ................................................. 37 8.2 Technical and environmental factors ....................................................................... 37 8.2.1 Treatment and processing of mercury waste................................................... 38 8.2.2 Principles governing choice of site.................................................................... 38 8.2.3 What will a deep bedrock repository cost?...................................................... 39 8.3 Criteria for requiring a deep bedrock repository ................................................... 41 8.3.1 Principles on which to base criteria.................................................................. 41 8.3.2 The environmental benefit of a deep bedrock repository............................... 41 8.3.3 Assessment of reasonableness – environmental benefit in relation to cost ... 42 8.4 Proposed organisational solution.............................................................................. 43 8.4.1 Cooperation between waste owners.................................................................. 43 8.4.2 Development of legal responsibility for the waste ........................................... 44 8.4.3 The role of the state............................................................................................ 44 8.4.4 The attitude of the waste owners to an agreement.......................................... 45 8.4.5 Timetable for compulsory deep storage ........................................................... 47 8.5 The commission's conclusions................................................................................... 48 9 The commission's proposals .......................................................................................... 50 9.1 The basis for