The Swedish Environmental Court’s NO to the final repository for spent nuclear fuel

Image: MKG/David Smythe

The Swedish Environmental Court says no to the power industry’s Nuclear Waste Company SKB’s license application for a final repository for spent nuclear fuel in Forsmark, Sweden. This is a huge triumph for safety and environment – and for the Swedish NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review (MKG), the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC), and critical scientists who have been presenting risks of the malfunction of the selected method. Now it is up to the Swedish government to make the final decision. ~ MKG  Read more here

“This is both an amazing decision and very important decision. The Swedish Environmental  Court has concluded that the scientific argument and evidence presented by an umbrella group ( Göteborg -based MKG) representing a wide range of environmental organisations had more credibility  than the evidence of the Swedish nuclear regulator and Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste company (SKB).
The UK nuclear waste disposal/ storage implementer, the Government-owned RWML, meanwhile is intent on obtaining under licence the SKB containment technology called KBS3 rejected as unacceptable by the Environmental court in the country of its development! Prudence might expect a ministerial re-think, but there again, this  is the semidetached UK from where  am writing.
Congratulations must go to Johan Swahn and his MKG team for demonstrating robust truthful science is more valuable than distorted science as presented by the so called independent Swedish nuclear regulator. This pronouncement in Stockholm this morning will reverberate across Europe sending shock waves into the nuclear waste establishment; as it should.”

Dr David Lowry

Dr David Lowry is a research consultant with specialist knowledge of UK and EU nuclear and environment policy.

The KBS-3 concept has been adopted by the UK for high level nuclear waste and spent fuel and this short slide show by Professor David Smythe summarises why it does not work.