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When nobody wants radioactive waste, Romania’s ready to commit

Published 13th October 2009 - 6 comments - 4032 views -

This is a local case study that goes well to what Daniel has already emphasized in his Nuclear power - no thanks! article.

Starting with 2015, Romania will have the most powerful laser in the world that researchers will use for high energy nuclear experiments, with results expected to exceed the laws of relativity. The European project called ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure), comparable to the famous CERN in Geneva, will be the largest research infrastructure if the ex-communist area. By being part of this, Romania will be practically put on the world's scientific map.

At least in theory, it's good news for a country whose scientific level is comparable to the one in the 3rd world states. In practice, the Magurele platform (the location of this high sought infrastructure), will attempt to neutralize nuclear waste, or how scientists call it - transmutation by irradiation. Thus, nuclear waste from Cernavoda Power Plant and other Eastern European plants will end up at 3 km away from Bucharest.

Cernobyl (Wikipedia photo)

"Nuclear power comes with radioactive waste. Storing the radioactive material is extremely complicated. Security problems might appear because radioactive material is used to manufacture nuclear weapons, but the biggest problem is that they have a very long life. Nuclear waste radiates for thousands and millions of years. Hide it in a cave if you may, but, for millions of years to come, it will continue to emit radiations, to be a sort of Chernobyl. This is an extremely serious problem. The United States haven't yet decided where to store waste, because nobody wants to live near a radioactive neighborhood (covering an area of thousands of kilometers). With the help of the ELI system, we can radiate and neutralize radioactive waste in a matter of tens of minutes. Starting with December 2015, waste from Cernavoda and from neighboring countries like Bulgaria and Ukraine will be brought here to be bombarded with laser beams," explains Marius Enachescu, Vice-President of the National Authority for Scientific Research (NASR).

ELI Consortium comprises 12 countries: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Spain and Hungary.

(for Romanian speakers full article in Gandul)

I understand the importance of scientific experiments and research. We'd still be living in a cave unless someone wouldn't have experimented something, but I don't understand why would Romania want to take the risks of dealing with radioactive waste (even if in theory we speak about a short time-span radiation process) when super powers like United States haven't yet decided where to store theirs but along with Japan (another super power) will serve as observers in the ELI experiments?

I doubt we have the security means needed to supervise such a huge process. (Okay, let's say we'll get them by 2015). I also have doubts regarding possible waste spills. Not that I don't appreciate the important role Romania theoretically has in this project, but I wonder if it's worth the risks for the an environment that's already under a lot of pressure and for the people living here.

With nuclear power, there is always a chance of collateral damage. In this case, Magurele can become the next Cernobyl. Or worse.

Category: Climate Politics, | Tags: romania, radioactive materials, nuclear waste,



Comments

Abhishek Nayak on 13th October 2009:

Hey don’t take all the credit, India wants the nuclear waste as well! http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jkinkdgghei&title=India_s_Nuclear_Power_Corp_targets_63_000_MW_by_2032

There are numerous studies which actually prove that nuclear power is overtly expensive as well, but we still want nuclear power!

Daniel on 16th October 2009:

Nuclear waste is really a curse… the ELI will benefit the globe if it succeds, but Romanians will suffer if it fails for some reason.

It is still incomprehensible to me how the industry could start proucing something as dangerous as nuclear waste, and later start thinking about what to do with it.

toma on 28th October 2009:

mediu

toma on 28th October 2009:

Cati gandesc ca Bucurestiul va fi IRADIAT daca acest proiect va continua sa vizeze prelucrarea reziduurilor nucleare:  In 2001 a fost facuta o analiza detaliata a consecintelor asupra sanatatii si mediului pe care le are acest proces, in cele doua unitati La Hague (Franta) si Sellafield (Marea Britanie). Studiul a avut drept concluzie faptul ca aceste fabrici de plutoniu sunt de departe cele mai poluante unitati nucleare din Uniunea Europeana. Emisiile lor radioactive in conditii normale de lucru corespund unui accident nuclear major pe an.
As vrea sa-l aud pe acest Enachescu ce are de spus legat de expunerea Bucurestiului la asa un pericol!

Adela on 28th October 2009:

@toma Multumesc de comentariu, il traduc mai jos in engleza, pt toata lumea.

Toma’s comment in English:

‘How many take into account that Bucharest will be IRRADIATED if this project continues to include dealing with nuclear waste? A detailed analysis regarding the effects of this project on health and environment has been done in 2001, at La Hague (France) & Sellafield (Great Britain). The study concluded that these plutonium factories are, by far, the most pollutant units in the European Union. Their radioactive emissions in normal working conditions correspond to one major nuclear accident per year.

I would like to hear what this Enachescu has to say related to exposing Bucharest to such a hazard.

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