First concrete poured for the new interim storage building for conditioned category B (long-lived) radwaste

Electrabel completed the first stage of the property transfer to the State Agency ONDRAF/NIRAS of its nuclear waste conditioned on the Tihange site during the period 1981-1991

PRINT THIS ARTICLE

In June was poured the first concrete of the foundations for building 155 at the Belgoprocess site in Dessel. This building, with a floor area of 3400 m², is intended for the interim storage of conditioned category B (long-lived) radwaste. It is designed to resist an earthquake and an external explosion, and its useful life is some 100 years.

Belgatom was appointed Architect-Engineer for this project by ONDRAF/NIRAS (Belgian Radwaste Administration in charge of the radwaste management in Belgium) in August 1999. Tractebel Energy Engineering is in charge of the civil works and HVAC parts of the project, and provides also the expertise for the handling aspects. The construction budget is EUR 7.2m.

The waste is conditioned in drums sized 200, 400 or 600 litres that will be stored stacked four-high in two halls. The total capacity of the building is about 3000 drums.

The HVAC system controls the temperature in the building so as to curb condensation on the drums and hence reduce drum corrosion risk. In case of leaks detection the pressure inside the building is reduced to a lower value than the outside pressure to prevent release to the atmosphere.

Waste conditioning will take place at the new installations of Belgoprocess currently under construction in the scope of the HRA/Solarium project for the retrieval, treatment, conditioning and final characterization of the contents of the radwaste containers stored since the 60s, a project also awarded to Belgatom. Accordingly, the building 155 should be operational as soon as the HRA/Solarium project is complete i.e. in 2003, since conditioned waste produced by the HRA project will be stored in the new building.. Since some initial difficulties have been overcome the conditions are now right to meet that deadline, the end of the structural work being scheduled for June 2002.

BACK TO NEWS,