The president of Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos (Enresa), José Luis Navarro, provided details about the project currently led by the company: the dismantling of the Garoña nuclear power plant, which was inaugurated in 1971.
The cessation of operations at the Garoña Nuclear Power Plant
Navarro pointed out that the Garoña plant ceased operations in an unusual way, as Nuclenor (with equal participation of Iberdrola and Endesa) disconnected it from the grid at the end of 2012 to avoid a new levy.
It was not until 2017 that the Ministry of Energy rejected the renewal of its operating license and Enresa took control of the plant in 2023, marking an unusual delay in terms of time, but not in technical aspects.
This delay in the start of decommissioning, according to Navarro, has deprived the region of an economic boost that would have been generated by the decommissioning work, noting that the ideal is to start preparing the process five years before the plant’s closure.
Highlighting Enresa’s previous experience with the decommissioning of the José Cabrera nuclear power plant in Guadalajara, Navarro detailed that the first phase of the Garoña decommissioning included the radiological characterization of various areas of the plant between 2019 and 2023.
Radioactive waste shipment management
During spent fuel management, radioactive waste will be stored in 49 casks in an individualized temporary storage facility. This phase will also include decontamination of key radiological circuits and disassembly of significant components of the turbine building.
Subsequently, in the second phase, the main components of the installation will be disassembled and eventually the site will be returned to the owner company, always ensuring radiological supervision of the area.
It should be noted that the radioactive waste will be transferred to the El Cabril storage center in Cordoba, which already houses waste from hospitals, industries and research centers. Navarro emphasized that the management and transportation of spent nuclear fuel containers represent a significant challenge.
Spain does not expect to have a final disposal facility until 2073, so for the time being, the waste will be in a Decentralized Temporary Storage Facility. Enresa is committed to communication and transparency, planning to open an information center on the decommissioning of the Garoña nuclear power plant.
The transition of Garoña from an active nuclear power plant to decommissioning underscores the complexity and importance of safe radioactive waste management. This case highlights the need to move towards long-term storage solutions to ensure safety and environmental sustainability.
The accumulated experience and lessons learned from this and similar projects are vital to inform and improve future practices in nuclear waste management worldwide.
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Source: nortexpres.com
Photos: shutterstock
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