Sep 19, 2025
Construction begins on Belgian waste disposal facility.
Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever has laid the foundation stone for a surface disposal facility for low- and intermediate-level, short-lived waste at the Dessel site. The facility will feature multiple concrete bunkers containing large vaults where this waste will be encapsulated in mortar. Plans include 28,831 vaults across two zones: 20 in the first and 14 in the second.
This facility will store all Belgian low- and intermediate-level, short-lived radioactive waste, including that from nuclear power plants, hospitals, research institutions, and the decommissioning of nuclear sites. Currently, this waste is managed by ONDRAF/NIRAS's industrial subsidiary Belgoprocess in designated buildings on-site.
The storage phase is expected to last about 50 years, after which the site will be permanently covered with natural and artificial layers to prevent water infiltration, resulting in two green hills about 20 meters high. Following filling, the facility and its surroundings will be monitored for 300 years, after which ongoing monitoring will no longer be necessary.
The federal government approved the project in 2006, and ONDRAF/NIRAS submitted an initial license application to the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) in January 2013. FANC deemed the dossier incomplete and requested further clarifications. The completed application was submitted in February 2019, and a construction and operation permit was granted in 2023.
In June, the NucleusSafe partnership, comprising Belgian contractors Deckx, BESIX, Vanhout, and Stadsbader, was announced as the contractor for civil engineering, with Denys handling electromechanical work.
ONDRAF/NIRAS Director General Marc Demarche expressed pride in this milestone, emphasizing the extensive efforts to prepare the safety documentation, which spans nearly 25,000 pages. Prime Minister De Wever remarked on the importance of nuclear technology for a sustainable future and the government's decision to abandon the nuclear phase-out, highlighting Belgium's strong reputation in nuclear safety and the significance of this project for nuclear waste storage.
Belgium has not yet determined its stance on the final disposal of high-level and/or long-lived waste.
This facility will store all Belgian low- and intermediate-level, short-lived radioactive waste, including that from nuclear power plants, hospitals, research institutions, and the decommissioning of nuclear sites. Currently, this waste is managed by ONDRAF/NIRAS's industrial subsidiary Belgoprocess in designated buildings on-site.
The storage phase is expected to last about 50 years, after which the site will be permanently covered with natural and artificial layers to prevent water infiltration, resulting in two green hills about 20 meters high. Following filling, the facility and its surroundings will be monitored for 300 years, after which ongoing monitoring will no longer be necessary.
The federal government approved the project in 2006, and ONDRAF/NIRAS submitted an initial license application to the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) in January 2013. FANC deemed the dossier incomplete and requested further clarifications. The completed application was submitted in February 2019, and a construction and operation permit was granted in 2023.
In June, the NucleusSafe partnership, comprising Belgian contractors Deckx, BESIX, Vanhout, and Stadsbader, was announced as the contractor for civil engineering, with Denys handling electromechanical work.
ONDRAF/NIRAS Director General Marc Demarche expressed pride in this milestone, emphasizing the extensive efforts to prepare the safety documentation, which spans nearly 25,000 pages. Prime Minister De Wever remarked on the importance of nuclear technology for a sustainable future and the government's decision to abandon the nuclear phase-out, highlighting Belgium's strong reputation in nuclear safety and the significance of this project for nuclear waste storage.
Belgium has not yet determined its stance on the final disposal of high-level and/or long-lived waste.