The company in charge of the decommissioning of Italian nuclear power plants and of the management of radioactive waste radioactive wasteSogin, has started the complete remodeling of the temporary storage facility for low level waste ERSBA1, located at the Caorso nuclear power plant in the province of Piacenza. The aim is to bring its construction conditions up to the latest safety standards.
The reconstruction process
The intervention includes the demolition of roofs, walls and foundations of the existing building for its subsequent reconstruction on the same site. The new facility, which will retain its original dimensions (50 meters long, 30 meters wide and about 6 meters high), will incorporate two overhead cranes for internal handling of radioactive containers and technical equipment.
Likewise, the ERSMA structure (which houses intermediate level waste) is being adapted by demolishing internal elements, while improvements at ERSBA2 were completed in 2023. With this strategy, Sogin avoids the need to build new facilities on site.
More details on Caorso nuclear power plant
The three warehouses are part of the decommissioning plan for the plant, which was closed in 1990 and whose decommissioning license was granted in 2014. Some 3,400 tons of materials are expected to be dismantled, of which 88% could be reused after appropriate treatments. The rest will be stored until it is transferred to the future National Repository.
With these works, Italy strengthens its capacity for safe nuclear waste management while moving towards a definitive solution at the national level.
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Source and photos: Sogin