The cAt project in Dessel is the integrated project for surface disposal of Belgian category A waste (low and medium-level, short-lived waste). The cAt project is the amalgamation of a technically safe solution for category A waste with social and economic projects that have a positive impact on prosperity and well-being in the region, today, but also in the distant future. In 2013, ONDRAF/NIRAS applied to FANC, the Belgian nuclear authority, for a nuclear licence for the construction and operation of a repository in Dessel. At the end of 2017, FANC confirmed that all the questions regarding the safety file of the surface disposal facility, which had to be dealt with at this stage, had been answered. On 16 May 2023, the Royal Decree issuing the nuclear establishment and operating licence needed to realise the surface repository in Dessel was published.
Research into a safe solution for B&C waste (high-level and/or long-lived waste) has been under way for decades and focuses on geological disposal in poorly indurated clay. How this can be done in a safe and feasible way is being studied in the HADES laboratory, which is located at a depth of 225 metres below the SCK CEN grounds in Mol. ONDRAF/NIRAS proposes to dispose of Belgian B&C waste deep underground in an environment that we know will remain stable for millions of years. The process will contain several stages and involve various interim decisions that will take a few decades. Belgium is technically already well advanced, but ONDRAF/NIRAS has learned from the approach to the surface disposal project that the social dimension is at least as important. Following a policy decision by the federal government on the principle of geological disposal, ONDRAF/NIRAS, in consultation with governments, civil society organizations, companies, citizens, etc., will develop the decision-making process in which the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved are clearly defined.
In November 2022, a Royal Decree was published in the Belgian Official Gazette as the first regulatory act to formally establish a national policy for the safe and responsible long-term management of high-level and/or long-lived radioactive waste in Belgium. It ratified the decision in principle of deep disposal on Belgian territory, as recommended by ONDRAF/NIRAS, and laid the foundations for establishing the implementation procedures at a later stage and within a clear framework. These will be determined step-by-step in a participatory, transparent, and phased decision-making process that will lead to the selection of the implementation site(s). Belgium is thus taking responsibility and making every effort to avoid passing on undue stresses to future generations.
In March 2023, the King Baudouin Foundation held a public debate with institutional stakeholders, academics and experts, as well as with civil society organisations and the population, with a special focus on the younger generation. The objective of this debate was to determine how the decision in principle on deep disposal could be translated into practice. This included answering the following questions: What are the next decisions to be made? Who prepares these decisions and how? What are the technical, financial and societal criteria for reversing a decision? How will the site(s) be selected? What are the technical, societal and safety requirements for building a disposal facility? How can we control this facility and possibly retrieve the waste? Are there any variants for deep disposal? These specific questions were addressed during this public debate.
On 22 February 2024, the King Baudouin Foundation presented the conclusions and recommendations of the societal debate to the relevant ministers and CEO of ONDRAF/NIRAS. The results will constitute an important contribution to the policy proposal concerning the decision-making process that ONDRAF will submit to the government.
