Management of waste and by-products
Vattenfall’s operations generate various types of waste and residues. Nuclear power plants generate radioactive waste. Combustion of solid fuels such as coal, biomass and waste generate ash and mineral by-products, such as gypsum, which can be re-used. Vattenfall continuously investigates ways to further decrease the amounts of waste and by-products created by our operations.
Hazardous waste is treated according to permits and regulations. Waste from construction and the decommissioning of power plants, distribution grids, etc., is handled according to the respective national legislation. Vattenfall strives to stimulate re-use and recycling of construction waste. Amounts of waste vary from year to year depending on the type of operation, ongoing construction work, etc.
The most significant by-products are ash from lignite- and coal-fired plants, and gypsum from flue-gas desulphurisation. This gypsum is sold to Europe’s gypsum and cement industry. Ash from lignite power plants is mainly used in the open-cast mining area for landscaping in the post-mining environment.
Ash from Vattenfall’s hard coal combustion in Germany, Poland and Denmark is used in the construction industry and for road construction.
When ash and by-products are substituted for other materials, it leads to less consumption of new resources. It also significantly reduces the amount of ash that has to be deposited. Most ash and mineral by-products from Vattenfall plants are re-used, and increased use is encouraged. Studies show that the risks associated with using ash as construction material are very small.
Some ash needs stricter handling, however. Ash from waste incineration is strictly regulated. Ash is reused to the greatest possible extent, and smaller fractions with high metal content are deposited at special sites.
Responsible handling of nuclear waste
Vattenfall operates nuclear power plants in Sweden and Germany. It is the operator’s responsibility to have reliable and acceptable solutions for managing nuclear waste. High-level long-lived radioactive waste, which consists primarily of spent nuclear fuel, must be carefully shielded during handling and transportation.
It takes approximately one hundred thousand years for the radioactivity to decline to the level that occurs in the uranium ore from which the fuel was originally extracted.
Vattenfall supports research and development on final disposal solutions for radioactive waste, a process that is conducted according to different time plans in Sweden and Germany.
In Sweden, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB), has developed a solution for a final repository for spent nuclear fuel. SKB is jointly owned by Sweden’s nuclear power operators.
In Germany, the requirements and limitations when handling nuclear waste differ from those in Sweden. Authorities in Germany investigate the final storage of spent nuclear fuel.
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