COMMISSION OPINION

of 18 March 1999

concerning the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the decommissioning and dismantling of the Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant located in the Land Brandenburg in the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty

(Only the German text is authentic)

(1999/C 97/08)

On 25 September 1998, the European Commission received from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, in accordance with Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, general data relating to the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste resulting from the decommissioning and dismantling of the Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant (KKR) in the Land Brandenburg.

On the basis of these data and clarifications subsequently provided by the German Government, and following consultation with the group of experts, the Commission has drawn up the following opinion.

(a) The distance between the plant and the closest State border (with the Republic of Poland) is 80 km, the nearest territories of Member States being at about 180 km (Denmark) and 250 km (Sweden).

(b) Under normal operating conditions, the discharges of liquid and gaseous effluents will not cause an exposure of the population in other Member States significant from the health point of view.

(c) Radioactive waste arising from the dismantling operations will be stored or disposed of in licensed sites in Germany (the ZLN interim storage facility and the deep geological repository in Morsleben); non-radioactive solid waste or residual materials and materials which are released from regulatory control subject to compliance with clearance levels will be released for disposal as conventional waste or for reuse or recycling, in all cases complying with the criteria laid down in the Basic Safety Standards (Directive 96/29/Euratom); other materials will be stored for radioactive decay or used or recycled in nuclear installations in Germany.

(d) In the event of unplanned discharges of radioactive waste which may follow an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, the doses likely to be received by the population in other Member States would not be significant from the health point of view.

In conclusion, the Commission is of the opinion that the implementation of the plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the decommissioning and dismantling of the Rheinsberg Nuclear Power Plant, both in normal operation and in the event of an accident of the type and magnitude considered in the general data, is not liable to result in the radioactive contamination, significant from the point of view of health, of the water, soil or airspace of another Member State.