White Paper - 12. Bring peace of mind to society – proactively take up the discussion about waste storage.

Page / - last modified by Ad Min on 2021/04/24 22:49

12. Bring peace of mind to society – proactively take up the discussion about waste storage.

last modified by Ad Min

on 2021/04/24 22:49

Table of Contents

As the broader social conversation about nuclear energy becomes serious, politicians should start talking about the usefulness and necessity of achieving a long-term storage solution for radioactive waste. Such a conversation is already being discussed by the Rathenau Institute—they are preparing a report on which several authors of this white paper have given input.

In the summer of 2020, in their recommendations on the Rathenau Institute’s draft report on 'Long-term storage of radioactive waste', members of the Advisory Council of the e-Lise Foundation expressed their support to start the decision-making process on the final storage of radioactive waste. After all, we already have nuclear waste. We see in surrounding countries that these considerations are complex and take a lot of time.

Broadly speaking, we see two possible routes:

The Netherlands stops using nuclear energy—in this case, participation in the Belgian nuclear waste repository would be the logical choice. It might even be possible to do this without signing new treaties by choosing a border location and connecting a Dutch corridor to a Belgian underground repository.

The Netherlands continues using nuclear energy, possibly in the form of Generation IV reactors. If this is the case, it makes sense to start thinking about a domestic final waste repository now. Developing such a waste repository requires knowledge and expertise, which is something the Dutch government has to invest in.

The discussion that the Rathenau Institute is shaping, could be a prelude to the broader social conversation about nuclear waste storage. The e-Lise Foundation wants to participate in this discussion and will start to organize webinars on nuclear waste. We believe that an objective comparison between waste streams of different energy sources will become an important factor leading to greater support for nuclear energy.