Governing radioactive waste in the interim: A cross-national comparison

In this presentation, I briefly review current practices in different countries (e.g. USA, Belgium) concerning the interim storage of intermediate and high-level radioactive waste. Drawing on ongoing research within the Programme for the Integration of Social Aspects into nuclear research (PISA) at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN, I provide a definition of interim storage and outline a possible research agenda for this area. Interim storage is defined as the stowing of high-level radioactive waste in temporary facilities for an indefinite period, until a more permanent solution is established. As the large majority of countries still has decades, if not centuries, to go before geological disposal facilities become operational, the notions of “temporary” and “interim” cover immense timespans that remain unaccounted for by scientists, technologists, regulators, implementers, and policy makers. It is therefore worth asking the following research questions: Which social, legal, and ethical considerations come into play when the concepts of “temporary” and “interim” are stretched? How do social, legal, and technical considerations interact with regard to (prolonged) interim storage facility safety? The outputs of this line of investigation are relevant to all actors involved in radioactive waste management, including governments, waste management organisations, civil society, and wider publics.