ITALY PUBLISHES THE MAP OF POTENTIALLY SUITABLE AREAS TO HOST THE NATIONAL REPOSITORY AND TECHNOLOGY PARK
On 5 January 2021 Sogin, the Italian public company responsible for siting, designing, building and operating the National Repository and Technology Park, published the National Map of Potentially Suitable Areas (CNAPI) on the www.depositonazionale.it website, along with the preliminary design and all documents related to the infrastructure.
Potentially suitable areas for hosting the National Repository
areas
regions
site
As provided by Italian law (Legislative Decree 31/2010) Sogin published the CNAPI after receiving the authorization from the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea. With the publication, an extensive public consultation is launched. This is the first phase of the path to select a site for the National Repository and Technology Park through a procedure based on the involvement of the local communities, with the aim of achieving an agreed solution.
The 67 potentially suitable areas for hosting the National Repository are located in 7 regions and have been identified by Sogin after a complex selection process on a national scale, carried out by applying the siting criteria established by the Italian Regulatory Authority (ISPRA, today ISIN) with Technical Guide n. 29 and in line with the standards set by IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and current best practices.
The National Repository will be a surface infrastructure that will allow to complete the decommissioning of the Italian nuclear installations and to safely dispose of radioactive waste, now stored in dozens of temporary storage facilities, produced by the operations and dismantling of nuclear power plants, fuel-cycle facilities and by nuclear medicine, industrial and research activities.
It will include the facilities for disposing of approximately 78,000 cubic meters of very low and low level radioactive waste and for the long-term interim storage of approximately 17,000 cubic meters of intermediate and high level radioactive waste, pending the availability of a deep geological repository suitable for their disposal. Together with the National Repository, the Technology Park will be realized: a research center, open to international cooperation, where activities in the energy, waste management and sustainable development fields can be carried out.
Stakeholders and concerned people are invited to register and participate in the public consultation through the www.depositonazionale.it website. During this phase, which will last a few months and will be closed by a National Seminar, all aspects related to the process of siting and building the Repository will be discussed like the preliminary project, the safety of workers, population and environment, as well as the benefits for the territory hosting the Repository.
At the end of the public consultation phase, Sogin will then draw up the proposal of National Map of Suitable Areas (CNAI) which will be sent to the Ministry of Economic Development which, after acquiring ISIN’s technical advice, with its own decree and in agreement with the Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, will approve it. At that point, the non-binding expressions of interest to host the infrastructure will be presented by the Regions and Local Authorities whose territory also partially falls within the suitable areas.
Waste volumes and origin
very low and low level radioactive waste disposal
intermediate and high level radioactive waste long-term interim storage
coming from nuclear medicine, industrial and research activities
Sogin is the State-owned company responsible for the decommissioning of Italian nuclear plants and for the management of radioactive waste, including those produced by industrial, research and nuclear medicine activities. Activities are carried out to guarantee citizens' safety on a daily basis, safeguard the environment and protect future generations.
Entirely owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance, Sogin operates according to the strategic guidelines of the Italian Government.
SOGIN
The National Repository is a surface environmental infrastructure where radioactive waste can be safely disposed of. Its fulfillment will allow to complete the decommissioning of Italian nuclear plants and to manage all radioactive waste, including that produced by industrial, research and nuclear medicine activities. Together with the National Repository, will be created the Technology Park: a research centre, open to international cooperation, where activities in the field of decommissioning, radioactive waste management and sustainable development can be carried out in agreement with the concerned territory. Siting, design, construction and operation of the infrastructure are entrusted to Sogin, as provided by Legislative Decree no. 31/2010. The Repository is a structure with engineering and natural barriers placed in series, designed following the best international practices and according to the most recent IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) standards. This will allow the disposal of approximately 78 thousand cubic metres of VLLW (very low level waste) and LLW (low level waste) and the long-term interim storage of approximately 17 thousand cubic metres of ILW (intermediate level waste) and HLW (high level waste).