Environmental commission criticizes the government's research into nuclear waste storage

The Ministry of Infrastructure has been advised by the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment to do “more thorough environmental research” into nuclear waste as quickly as possible. The research that the ministry has completed on the nuclear waste stated that the storage of radioactive waste is “safe and responsible,” but the commission thinks that the reasons given for this argument are factually incorrect. Although the commission also has no indications that there are any acute environmental risks connected to the storage.

Every 10 years, the Cabinet must set up a program on how to deal with nuclear waste. The ministry has said that they will now implement new policies in the coming years, but according to the commission, this does not exempt the state secretary for environment, Chris Jansen, from his duty to deliver a well-researched document on the subject.

Even if policy remains unchanged, the current landfills for low-level radioactive waste are in danger of filling up. "And we're not talking about pruning waste," a spokesperson said. "This material can remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years."

The waste is coming from five locations: the nuclear power plant in Borssele, the former nuclear power plant in Dodewaard, the reactor in Petten, the research reactor in Delft, and the enrichment facility Urenco in Almelo.

The waste is currently being stored temporarily in Vlissingen, but the waste cannot be kept there. The storage is almost full, and this is one of the reasons that the commission has said that the Cabinet must look into the environmental effects more thoroughly.

Jansen responded by saying that he thinks it is important that nuclear waste is stored responsibly and safely. “It is up to the ministry to defend their plans in the right way.” He recognized the commission’s criticism. "There is still a task to be done," he noted. The ministry will draw up a new report for the period 2030-2035, and possibly also for 2025-2030.