Norway inquires with 22 municipalities about the possibility of hosting nuclear waste facilities.

Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning has invited municipalities to express interest in participating in the search for appropriate locations for radioactive waste storage facilities.

Although Norway has not operated nuclear power plants, it has previously run research reactors, such as the nuclear fuel and materials testing reactor at Halden and the JEEP-II neutron scattering facility at Kjeller, which were permanently closed in June 2018 and April 2019, respectively.

Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) emphasizes that "international experience shows that social acceptance and participation are crucial for the successful localization of nuclear waste facilities."

The letters sent to the municipalities aim to assess their interest in engaging in "further investigation, dialogue, and any planning processes related to the siting of facilities for Norwegian radioactive waste," rather than deciding on a specific location at this stage.

The selected areas, chosen "after a comprehensive assessment based on 18 different criteria," include Aremark, Aurskog-Høland, Eidsvoll, Enebakk, Fredrikstad, Frogn, Gran, Halden, Inner Østfold, Lillestrøm, Marker, Nes, Nesodden, Nordre Follo, Rakkestad, Sarpsborg, Stange, Sør-Odal, Ullensaker, Vestby, Våler, and Ås.

Martin Andreasson, Director of Communications at NND, stated: "If we do not receive indications that the municipality wishes to proceed further, we will take it to mean that the municipality does not want to be considered as a potential host."

NND intends to construct various facilities: storage for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste; storage for used nuclear fuel; a treatment plant for sorting, processing, and treating waste; and final disposal sites, "including deep disposal for used fuel/high-level radioactive waste."

The organization claims that the location process will be "open, evidence-based, and verifiable," ensuring that alternative sites can be systematically compared. Criteria to be considered include "geology, natural hazards, land use and biodiversity, transportation and energy access, socio-economic impacts, the speed of solution implementation, and more."

Background

While Norway does not currently have nuclear power plants in operation, the government appointed a committee in June 2024 to conduct a comprehensive review of the potential future establishment of nuclear power in the country, with a report due by 1 April 2026.

Recently, the Norwegian Environment Agency announced it would consult neighboring countries regarding a proposal for a study program for a nuclear power plant in the Aure and Heim municipalities.

In May, the US engineering firm Amentum and its joint venture partner Multiconsult Norge AS were chosen by NND to provide safety case management and training for Norway's nuclear clean-up initiative.

This contract focuses on delivering a new methodology for robust and well-documented safety assessments for both new designs and existing legacy nuclear facilities, including decommissioned reactors, post-operational clean-out, and the management and storage of used fuel and radioactive waste. It involves work at KLDRA, a combined storage and disposal site for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in Himdalen, Aurskog/Høland, as well as at the two research reactor sites.