CONSULTATIONS 2006 CONSULTATIONS Consultations according to the Environmental Code Compilation 2006 Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co Box 5864, SE-102 40 Stockholm, Sweden Telephone +46 8 459 84 00 www.skb.se Consultations according to the Environmental Code Compilation 2006 ISBN 978-91-976141-9-1 EnaInfo/Edita April 2007 Photo: Curt-Robert Lindqvist, Lasse Modin, SKB’s archive. Translation: Richard Nord Translations AB Contents First consultation report submitted 4 The nuclear fuel project 6 SKB’s consultations 9 Local information 14 Documentation of the consultations 18 Completed consultations 20 Excerpts from minutes 23 CONSULTATIONS – COMPILATION 2006 3 First consultation report submitted A major step forward was taken in 2006. It was the year when the licens- ing process started for the final repository system for the spent nuclear fuel. In November we submitted – on schedule, thanks to the dedicated efforts of many employees – our first application to SKI. One of the many appendices was a consultation report. Meanwhile the consulta- tions continue, with sights set on the applications we plan to submit to SKI and the Environmental Court in 2009 for the final repository under the Nuclear Activities Act and for the entire final repository system under the Environmental Code. It has now been five years since we at SKB, after many years of preparations, started the first formal consultations in preparation for the applications under the Environmental Code and the Nuclear Activities Act for permits to establish an encapsulation plant and a final repository for the spent nuclear fuel from the Swedish nuclear power plants. The site investigations in Forsmark (Östhammar Municipality) and Simpevarp/Laxemar (Oskarshamn Municipality) are in their final phase. We who are in charge of SKB’s work with applications, environmental impact assessments and consultations look back on 2006 as an intensive, educational and successful year. In parallel with major efforts in the preparation of our first appli- cation, which also includes SKB’s first EIS under the Environmental Code, the con- sultations continued. As in previous years, we held a number of meetings and activi- ties in the two site investigation munici- palities and the two concerned counties during 2006. Nearby residents, organiza- tions and decision-makers in the two municipalities, concerned county adminis- trative boards, regional associations, SKI, SSI and KASAM, as well as the environ- mental organizations that receive funding from the Nuclear Waste Fund, continue to follow our work with interest. During the year – as a result of suggestions from or in dialogue with other consultation partners – we tried some new (and some proven) approaches to get more people to participate in the consultations. 4 CONSULTATIONS – COMPILATION 2006 Some examples are: ■ an independent moderator now generally presides over the consultation meetings, ■ presentations on topical, requested or particularly important themes imme- diately prior to the consultation meetings leave more time for questions and discussion at the meetings, ■ open house days, particularly for part-time residents, were tried during the summer, ■ all meetings in 2006 with the Oskarshamn EIA Forum and the Forsmark Consultation and EIA Group were open to all interested persons, ■ the information furnished via the SKB web and on the Internet was expanded and improved. The changes were largely received positively, but we were again forced to accept the low attendance from part-time residents. There are also differing opinions concerning the forms for and usefulness of the open regional meetings. The questions from the consultations in 2006 are presented in this compilation. Many had to do with the premises for and purpose of the disposal of the spent nuclear fuel, the presentation of alternatives – above all to the KBS-3 method, and then in particular “deep boreholes” – and the consequences for the environ- ment in a broad sense. The number and diversity of questions is otherwise impressive, as usual. During 2007 we plan to begin the consultations under the Espoo Convention via the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency with the Baltic Sea States that during 2006 expressed an interest in participating. It is my firm conviction that all of this will contribute to a safe long-term solution with a minimum of damage and detriment on the sites where the encapsulation plant and the final repository are located. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all the interesting viewpoints we receive. I hope we will meet again and that even more people will take the opportunity to participate in the consultation process and express their opinions. The consultations will continue until 2009. Your view- points are important, so be sure to continue to take part and make your voice heard! Erik Setzman Head of the EIA Unit CONSULTATIONS – COMPILATION 2006 5 The nuclear fuel project The nuclear power utilities in Sweden merged in the 1970s to form Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co). Our mission is to manage and dispose of the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste from the Swedish nuclear power plants. Disposal must meet all requirements on safety for man and the environment. Operations area Ventilation Rock heap station Ramp Ventilation shaft Elevator shaft Skip shaft Exhaust air shaft Central area Deposition area Example of design of a final repository according to the KBS-3 method. 6 CONSULTATIONS – COMPILATION 2006 SKB’s proposal is that the spent nuclear fuel will be disposed of according to the KBS-3 method. This involves encapsulating the fuel in copper canisters with cast iron inserts and depositing the canisters at a depth of 400–700 metres in the bedrock, where stable mechanical and chemical conditions prevail. The canisters are surrounded by bentonite clay, which constitutes a buffer against minor rock movements and prevents corrosive substances from getting in to the canister. The clay also effectively absorbs radionuclides that are released if the canister is damaged. The KBS-3 method requires an encapsulation plant, where the spent nuclear fuel is encapsulated, and a deep hard rock facility (a final repository), where the canisters are deposited. The scientific and technical basis for the method has been frequently developed and reported to the regulatory authorities and the Government every third year in our RD&D programmes (Research, Development and Demonstration). The strategy of geological final disposal according to the KBS-3 method has been approved repeatedly. Purpose of the nuclear fuel project The general requirements and premises for management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel are set forth in Swedish legislation and in international agreements and conventions which Sweden has pledged to abide by. The most important requirements in Swedish legislation are the environmental requirements in the Environmental Code, the safety requirements in the Nuclear Activities Act with associated regulations, and the radiation protection requirements in the Radiation Protection Act with associated regulations. On this basis, SKB has defined the purpose of the nuclear fuel project: SKB’s purpose is to build, operate and close a final repository with a focus on safety, radiation protection and environmental considerations. The final repository is being designed to prevent illicit tampering with nuclear fuel both before and after closure. Long-term safety will be based on a system of passive barriers. The final repository is intended for spent nuclear fuel from the Swedish nuclear reactors and will be created within Sweden’s boundaries with the voluntary participation of the concerned municipalities. The final repository will be established by those generations that have derived benefit from the Swedish nuclear reactors and designed so that it will remain safe after closure without maintenance or monitoring. Applications Today the spent nuclear fuel is being temporarily stored in Clab (central interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel), which is situated in Oskarshamn Munici- pality. In November 2006, SKB submitted an application under the Nuclear Activi- ties Act for a permit to build and own an encapsulation plant for spent nuclear fuel and to operate it integrated with Clab, which entails a review of the permits for Clab. An environmental impact statement (EIS) was appended to the application. CONSULTATIONS – COMPILATION 2006 7 ApplicationAnsökan in i tvåtwo stepssteg KTL KTL−Kärntekniklagen– Nuclear Activities Act SwedishSKI Nuclear Power InspectorateMB−Miljöbalken (SKI) MB – Environmental Code Final repository (KTL) Miljödomstol Slutförvar (KTL) Environmental Court InkapslingEncapsulation FinalSlutförvar, repository, inkapsling encapsulation ochand ClabClab (KTL) (KTL) andoch Clab Clab (MB) (MB) ConditionsVillkor 2006 2009 LicensingPrövning review Regerings-Government decisionbeslut Schematic plan of the licensing process. Site investigations are being conducted in the municipalities of Oskarshamn and Östhammar as a basis for the siting of the final repository. In 2009 SKB plans to apply for a permit under the Nuclear Activities Act for the final reposi- tory. At the same time, SKB will apply for permits under the Environmental Code for the encapsulation plant, Clab and the final repository. The same EIS will be appended to both applications. The EIS for the application in 2006 focuses on the encapsulation plant, while the EIS