Spain's Nuclear Industry Welcomes Decision On New Storage Facility
Written by NucNet
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Spain's nuclear industry has welcomed a government decision to ask for applications from communities that want to host a centralised intermediate storage facility (Almacén Temporal Centralizado, or ATC) for high-active waste and spent fuel.
The industry group Foro Nuclear said the proposed centralised facility would be the best solution for the intermediate management of spent fuel from Spain's nuclear power plants.
The decision to open the way for applications from municipalities interested in hosting the ATC is an "important step" for the development of the Spanish nuclear industry, Foro Nuclear said in a statement on 23 December 2009.
The ATC is considered in the government's sixth general plan on radioactive waste management and was approved by the government in 2006. It will allow for the management and monitoring of all waste in one single facility.
Foro Nuclear said the facility will store 6,700 tonnes of spent fuel from nuclear power plants and vitrified waste from reprocessing, for a period of 60 years.
Spain has eight nuclear units in commercial operation. The country's oldest nuclear unit, the 142-megawatt Jose Cabrera-1, was permanently shut down in 2006.
