Nuclear, the government's plan: the national repository expected to be operational by 2039. Here are the next steps

The government wants to move forward with the construction of the national repository for securing radioactive waste. But the timeframes, already known, are not very short. The Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, highlighted this during a hearing on the disposal of nuclear waste and the identification of areas suitable for the development of plants for the production of renewable energy in the VIII and X Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies. "On the basis of the most recent estimates provided by Sogin, it is believed that the single authorization provision can be issued in 2029 and the operation of the repository in 2039", the construction of which, together with the annexed Technology Park, is entrusted to Sogin, the public company that also deals with the decommissioning and securing of old nuclear sites.

In the Chamber, Pichetto Fratin then retraced the entire process after recalling that no self-candidacy has arrived despite the various requests launched. From here, he explained, «the start of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure on the Cnai proposal (which contains the map of the areas suitable for hosting the deposit, ed.) which is currently underway». Pichetto then clarified that, in the absence of spontaneous demonstrations or if an agreement on the areas is not reached, mixed inter-institutional State-Regions Committees will be activated, as a further form of solicitation for loyal collaboration, and the agreement of the Unified Conference will be sought.

The rationale is clear: the executive does not want to impose a solution from above. Especially with respect to a topic, such as that of the national repository, which is still very divisive. This is why, he added, in the event that the committee cannot be formed or in the event of failure to reach agreements on individual sites, "the decision will be taken by decree of the President of the Republic, following deliberation by the Council of Ministers, integrated with the participation of the president of the Region concerned"

Pichetto Fratin then also recalled the current location of radioactive waste on the peninsula, underlining that there are sites that must be managed "in total safety". The plants in Italy that currently hold radioactive waste, spent fuel, disused sources and nuclear materials, to be transferred in the future to the National repository, the minister explained, "are the following: 1) 4 former nuclear power plants in decommissioning managed by Sogin; 2) 4 fuel cycle plants in decommissioning managed by Enea and Sogin; 3) 1 ISPRA-1 research reactor at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (VA), managed by Sogin; 4) 7 nuclear research centres (ENEA Casaccia, JRC in Ispra, Avogadro Repository, LivaNova, CeSNEF - Enrico Fermi Nuclear Studies Centre - in Milan, University of Pavia, University of Palermo); 5) 4 Integrated Service centers in operation (Nucleco, Campoverde, Protex, MITAmbiente); 6) 1 Integrated Service center no longer active (Cemerad); 7) 1 warehouse of the Ministry of Defense, Navy General Staff, Joint Center for Studies on Military Applications (CISAM)».

The radioactive waste from decommissioning activities, the head of Mase clarified, «is treated, conditioned and stored inside each nuclear plant, in temporary storage facilities specifically designed to house only the waste present on the site itself, pending its delivery for final disposal or long-term storage, based on the type of waste». But this solution, he recalled, «obliges us to guarantee constant maintenance of the storage facilities, as well as the necessary surveillance facilities in the various sites on Italian territory for the safe storage of radioactive waste». In addition to this, there is also the issue of the spent fuel produced during the operation of Italian nuclear power plants which has been «almost entirely sent abroad for reprocessing, on the basis of intergovernmental agreements stipulated with the United Kingdom and France», continued Pichetto Fratin.