Overview

There is currently one nuclear power plant in operation, at Paks, 100 Km south of Budapest, where there are 4 VVER-440 reactors, the first of which went critical in 1983. Plans drawn up by the former Soviet Union authorities proposed on-site storage of all reactor wastes until the decommissioning stage, so that all wastes could be co-disposed. The Hungarian authorities, most notably the Atomic Energy Authority, (HAEA) refused these proposals in 1977, and outlined plans for various facilities, primarily for LLW, as at that time all spent fuel was returned to the Soviet Union.

Licensing authority is held by the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA), which also regulates the handling of radioactive materials such as spent fuel.

A new radioactive waste management law was introduced in June 1997. Under this, a new 'Public Agency for Management of Radioactive Waste', to be known as PURAM, was established, and formally came into existence on 2nd June 1998. PURAM has assumed responsibility for disposal of all wastes generated at Paks and the operation of the existing low-level waste disposal site at Püspökszilágy.

L/ILW
Non NPP-wastes have been disposed of in the past at a near-surface trench facility at Püspökszilágy, near Kisnemedi, approx. 30 Km north-east of Budapest, since 1977. The regulatory authorities called for the preparation of a comprehensive safety assessment, based on up-to-date methods and require that it conform to present international requirements.

The revised national programme involves an underground facility with tunnels approx. 200-250m deep, in granite, accessed by twin inclined drifts. Following an extended site selection process, it was decided that the Üveghuta-Bátaapáti site appeared suitable for a repository. Drivage of 2 access tunnels began in late 2004. Part of the surface facilities began operation in October 2008 allowing interim storage of about 3000 drums containing waste from the Paks NPP that is running out of storage capacity.  Development of the underground facilities is continuing, with operation currently scheduled to begin in 2011.

The first phase of the underground repository that has been developed at Bátaapáti consists of six disposal chambers, with two empty chambers either side to provide seismic protection. A total of seventeen chambers are ultimately planned [Republic of Hungary 2008]. The chambers are 6.0 x 8.3m. Although these will be unlined, there will be a concrete floor treated with epoxy resin. Drummed wastes from the Paks NPP will be placed in concrete overpacks and cemented, prior to disposal. During the projected 120-150 year repository lifetime, the wastes will be fully retrievable, and although the tunnels will eventually be sealed with a mixture of crushed granite and bentonite, the main access will remain open.

HLW/Spent Fuel
Under the Soviet Union spent fuel was returned for reprocessing to Russia, and no HLW was to be returned. The cessation of this arrangement in 1992 had an immediate impact at Paks, and all the available storage ponds were expected to be full by the end of 1995.

To overcome the storage problems a modular vault dry storage facility (MVDS) has been constructed on the NPP site. A licence was issued in early 1997, and operation began in September 1997.

As far as developing a deep repository for HLW and probably spent fuel disposal, detailed examination continued from 1993 of the Permian-age Boda Claystone (Aleurite) Formation (BAF) at the Mecsek Uranium Mine in south west Hungary, west of the city of Pecs, which ceased production in September 1997. An interim assessment of work completed to date was submitted to an expert panel in late 1998. Unfortunately the mine was closed soon after, and the recommendation to develop a URL there was not agreed to by government.

In 2001 a new strategy was produced for development of a repository. Known as the 'Determination and evaluation of handling strategies for spent fuel and HLW, establishing a working programme and time schedule', it recommended that a programme of work should be developed in 2003 and begin immediately thereafter.

A surface-based exploration programme in the region started in Autumn 2004, with the intention of identifying a site for a new URL in Boda Claystone. Current plans envisage selection of a site for a new URL in 2011.