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Storage of

conditioned

Belgian radioactive

waste

While awaiting final disposal, the conditioned radioactive waste is stored temporarily in storage buildings that provide radiation shielding.

Belgoprocess has storage buildings for low-level conditioned waste, medium-level conditioned waste high-level vitrified waste, and alpha-contaminated waste. Currently, Belgoprocess is temporarily storing the following volumes of radioactive waste:

  • 300 m³ high-level conditioned waste
  • 4.000 m³ medium-level conditioned waste
  • 20.000 m³ low-level conditioned waste

More information on these figures: The storage of conditioned low-active waste includes buildings 150, 151 and 155. Medium-active waste is stored in building 127. The figure given for the storage of high-level waste relates to buildings 129 and 136, including zone D.

The high-level waste is the smallest in volume (1.4% of all waste) but represents 98% of radioactivity in all the stored waste. High-level waste consists mostly of vitrified waste transported back to Belgium following reprocessing in France of used fuel elements from the Belgian nuclear power plants. The majority of the used fuel elements are temporarily stored at the nuclear power plant sites.