RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

• The driving forces behind the development of a partitioning and transmutation system will
be beyond the control of SKB and Sweden within the foreseeable future.
• There is no political support for the application of partitioning and transmutation in Sweden.
• Considerable uncertainties still exist regarding whether functioning systems that meet
reasonable requirements on efficiency will become available, and if so when.
SKI’s conclusion is that the current level of effort is adequate to actively follow and contribute
to the international development work in a meaningful way, but that at the same time it is a
minimum level that should not be reduced. If Swedish nuclear power had been in an expansive
phase, they say, a greater effort would have been justified.
According to SKI, SKB’s partitioning and transmutation programme has a suitable direction
which covers everything from basic research to technological development. System- and safetyrelated
research as well as work on project coordination are particularly valuable since they
provide good insight into major international programmes at a reasonable cost.
Furthermore, SKI emphasizes that partitioning and transmutation is one of the few research
areas in nuclear technology that can still attract young and committed researchers. The work
that is being done in partitioning and transmutation in Sweden should therefore be seen as a part
of the effort to preserve national competence in nuclear technology, particularly reactor physics
and nuclear chemistry. This is the reason why SKI also funds research in partitioning and
transmutation in the amount of about SEK 0.5 million per year.
Kasam has no objection to the picture presented by SKB of newfound knowledge in the
transmutation field /23-3/. In Kasam’s opinion, there are good reasons for the current direction
of the Swedish nuclear waste programme, namely further development work focusing on direct
disposal in accordance with the KBS-3 method.
But at the same time, Kasam says it is important that SKB should actively monitor developments
in the area of partitioning and transmutation, and proposes that the Government should
request that SKB, in RD&D-Programme 2004, should present more detailed information for
assessing suitable levels of funding for this monitoring.
Kasam shares SKB’s opinion that it is not reasonable for the company to initiate major development
projects in the field of partitioning and transmutation at present, but in Kasam’s opinion
SKB should remain open to the possibility of increased efforts within the framework of
EU-funded research in the transmutation field, which is currently being discussed and could
lead to the need for increased Swedish efforts.
Newfound knowledge since RD&D 2001
At the request of SKB, a reference group of Swedish researchers published a report on the status
of research on partitioning and transmutation in early 2004 /23-4/. The information for the
following account of the current state of knowledge on P&T is taken from this report. The report
summarizes developments since 1998, when a similar report was produced for SKB /23-5/.
In the past few years, a number of system studies on P&T have been published. These studies
provide a good overview of the extensive work required for implementing P&T, the relative
large and complex system of facilities that are needed, and the problems that must be solved
before such a system can be realized.
The first of these system studies was done by an expert group within the OECD/NEA and was
published in 1999 /23-6/. Important conclusions from this study were:
• Basic R&D for partitioning and transmutation requires long lead times and large investments
in dedicated fast neutron devices, extensions of reprocessing plants and construction of
remote-controlled facilities for fuel fabrication.
308 RD&D-Programme 2004