Nuclear waste in France set to double
Jul 13 - United Press International
France's nuclear waste agency says the amount of such waste in the
country will double by 2030, and some of it will remain radioactive for
2 million years.
The current 45 million cubic feet of nuclear waste in France is
likely to reach 95 million cubic feet in the next 18 years, a report by
Andra, the agency charged with stocking and disposing of nuclear waste,
said.
The current amount of waste represents 4 pounds for every person in
the country.
With nuclear power the principle source of electricity in France, the
Andra report warns of major problems stockpiling waste, Radio France
Internationale reported.
While only 0.2 percent of current stocks are highly radioactive, some
of the material, such as neptunium 237, can remain active for more than
2 million years.
The socialist government of Francois Hollande has resisted pressure
from its coalition partners to drastically reduce the nuclear power
industry, responsible for 59 percent of all the nuclear waste generated
in the country, RFI reported.
|