News item | 12-12-2024 | 2:15 PM
Today the state took over the shares of the former Dodewaard nuclear power plant. The shares were then immediately transferred to COVRA. The capacity built up by GKN will be used in the future to dismantle the nuclear power plant. COVRA is the only company in the Netherlands that collects, processes and stores radioactive waste.
The government previously announced its intention to purchase the shares and transfer them to COVRA with a view to financing the dismantling of the nuclear power plant. That happened today.
In addition, the entire assets of the sole shareholder (NEA, BV Nederlands Elektriciteit Administratiekantoor) of the Dodewaard nuclear power plant have been transferred to GKN. GKN (Communal Nuclear Power Plant Netherlands) is the legal entity behind the Dodewaard nuclear power plant. Because COVRA has now become the sole shareholder of GKN, all of that capital is also available to cover the decommissioning costs.
The polluter pays
NEA’s resources, together with Dodewaard’s assets, will soon be used to cover the costs of dismantling. The money that GKN has available, a total of approximately 180 million euros, will be invested until 2045 and can therefore continue to grow for more than 20 years. This will soon be used to finance the dismantling and in the meantime the management of the former nuclear power plant.
It is estimated that the available resources will not be sufficient and that the government will ultimately have to pay extra for the dismantling. It is expected that 350 million euros will soon be needed.
State Secretary Chris Jansen (Environment): “By tackling it in this way, the principle of ‘the polluter pays’ is done as much justice as possible. The aim is that the State will have to contribute as little additional money as possible for dismantling. This is a unique situation that cannot arise in the future when reactors are dismantled. Financial certainty is now required in advance for all reactors regarding the final decommissioning. Operators must ensure that they set aside sufficient money for this.”
Green meadow
The Dodewaard nuclear power plant has not been in use since 1997 and is now in so-called “safe containment”. This means that there is no longer any nuclear fuel present. From a safety perspective, there is no reason to start dismantling now. This will happen from 2045 onwards. It is estimated that it will take approximately ten years before the dismantling is completed. With the current planning, that will be around 2055.
The nuclear power plant must be dismantled into a ‘green meadow’. This means that the site on which the Nuclear Power Plant is currently located must become available again for any intended use. There are therefore no restrictions on the use of the site of the former Dodewaard nuclear power plant after decommissioning.