- If the waste leaking into the groundwater, the island is destroyed for all eternity – Dagbladet.no

(Dagbladet): – It is a completely untenable solution to impose Langøya storage of waste. This is a disclaimer of government, says Nils Bohmer, Bellona adviser in nuclear affairs, told Dagbladet.

Bohmer denounces the VG information that the government wants to store radioactive waste at Langøya in Oslo Fjord. A report is put out to tender, although specialists at the Norwegian Waste Management (Noah) twice has concluded that it can not be done.

Fear leakage

Langøya, located in the middle of a popular recreational area between Holmestrand and Hurum, has since 1993 been used for storage and conversion of hazardous wastes under the auspices of Noah. The company intends to stop the operation in a few years, and the plan is to transform the island into recreational area.

– It may be difficult to achieve if you are sitting on a radioactive source. If waste leaking into the groundwater, the island is destroyed forever, he said.

The waste in question is ca. 1,200 tons of sludge Søve mines in Nome Telemark, who after the war was used for the extraction of metal for use in US nuclear weapons experiments. It has long been a desire to get the waste away from the local community, but Noah says that they are not able to deal with drugs.

The substances Noah handles Langøya today can be chemically transform and rendered safe . It is not possible with the waste from Telemark, consisting of radioactive isotopes with thousands of years of half life.

– This is about money

Bohmer believes the government wants to place the waste in Langøya as a cost saving. It’s set a ceiling of 20 million for the project.

– Waste Site in Gulen (Sogn og Fjordane, which currently receives radioactive waste from the North Sea) is far better suited, but needs an upgrade that costs much more than 20 million and was therefore not included in the previous tender round, because the income was insufficient, says nuclear expert.

He believes promotes secure storage trumps costs.

– Government must pay it costs to do this properly, concludes Nils Bohmer.

– Case for Control Committee

Bohemia chief of Bellona, ​​Frederic Hauge, believes the matter “similar authority has at its very worst” .

– How in the world can Solberg-government force a company to carry out a complex activity that they have not applied for, is not competent to and do not want? Here the Justice Department of Justice on the court and explain whether this is legal. This is a matter for the Attorney General and SCSCA, thunders Hauge to Dagbladet.

Left-deputy Ola Elvestuen, who chairs Parliament’s Energy and Environment Committee, is not merciful to government dealings in case.

– They can not do. They can not override scientific community when there are alternatives both in Norway and abroad, says Elvestuen Dagbladet.

Hoping for solution

He calls what he calls a thorough process of evaluation before the waste final fate to be decided .

– What do you want in the Left do to the government?

– There is no reason why this should lead to some conflict. I hope we can discuss our way forward to a solution that is academically excellent, concludes Ola Elvestuen.