Making industrial history by recycling radioactive waste

67.000 metric tons of active material from reactors of two nuclear power plants in Sweden need to be removed. One of Uniper’s largest projects is moving at full speed: All reactors in Barsebäck and two in Oskarshamn (OKG) power plant will be decommissioned between 2020 and 2028 – preparations are already in full progress. After the project has been completed, all radioactive waste has to be eliminated from the sites. To reach this goal, the first step is already done: The removal of the most radioactive material – reactor tanks and their contents. “Barsebäck is the first nuclear power plant to be dismantled in Sweden. It is very important that we do it safely and in the right way”, explained Pia Hedberg, who works with waste and dismantling at Barsebäck power plant. “It is self-evident that we need to take care of nature’s resources. Why should we throw things away or bury them when they can be reused?”, she further explained.

To further develop the treatment process and to prepare the conditions for the recycling, in October, we entered into a partnership with Cyclife Sweden AB – a company specialized in the handling of radioactive material and a subsidiary of the French energy group EDF. This framework agreement includes services for advanced processing of the waste and is valid until 2027. “Due to this agreement with Cyclife we expect to make annual calls of between 1,500 and 2,500 metric tons until 2027. This is a good example of the gains we can make by coordinating dismantling and demolition of the closed reactors at OKG and Barsebäck”, says OKG’s CEO, Johan Dasht. Within 13 days of signing the agreement, the first 23 metric tons were already shipped.

Barsebäck Kraft is a nuclear power plant located in Öresund north of Malmö, which was closed after a political decision in the late 1990s. Owned by Uniper, we are responsible for decommissioning and dismantling. The fuel, which was high radioactive waste, was sent to the Oskarshamn interim storage facility a long time ago. By creating the conditions for continued power generation with nuclear power, we close the lifecycle management of nuclear power production – always having our ambitious climate targets in mind. “Barsebäck is situated in a beautiful place, close to the sea. We want to show that it is actually possible to reclaim an area where there used to be a nuclear plan. That it can be returned into its natural beauty”, described Pia Hedberg. Uniper expects to reclassify and recycle just about half of the total waste from reactors at Barsebäck and OKG – from radioactive waste to rubbish from buildings and walls.

Only six percent of all waste from the plants is radioactive – what amounts 67.000 metric tons – the rest is completely ordinary trash. Broadly spoken, there are three kinds of radioactive waste: low active, intermediate active and high active waste. Most of it is low-level – we send it to be smelted, incinerated or recycled. The results are new power cables, intercom systems, welding equipment, scrap metal or tool boxes. Intermediate-level waste includes trash from decommissioning. We seal it in barrels and mix it with concrete. We have an area where we sort and measure the radioactive waste. A robot arm sorts low- and intermediate-level waste. After it is sorted, we move the material to a storage container and prepare them for the repository. “With this big project, we are not only showing the way for Sweden, but for the whole world, towards responsibility and sustainability”, says Katarina Norén, Head of Waste at Barsebäck power plant.