The establishment of a new storage facility for Denmark’s nuclear waste at Risø near Roskilde has been delayed again, now expected to be ready no earlier than 2030. Dansk Dekommissionering, responsible for storing radioactive waste, attributes the delay to the extensive nature of the work and the involvement of numerous authorities.

The project was originally slated for completion in 2023 but has faced multiple postponements. The previous plan aimed for a 2029 completion.

Mikkel Øberg, director of radiation protection at Dansk Dekommissionering, stated that the project’s complexities and the need for extensive discussions across various decision-making bodies contributed to the delay.

Currently, the waste at Risø primarily consists of contaminated material from sources like hospitals and low-level waste, such as old fire alarms. Dansk Dekommissionering estimates the volume of waste to be between 10,000 and 15,000 cubic meters.

In 2018, a political decision was made to upgrade the storage facilities at Risø. The purpose of this upgrade was to enhance the security of nuclear waste storage against threats such as storm surges and climate change. It was also decided that the radioactive waste would be stored at Risø until 2073, at which point a deep geological repository would be utilized.

The Risø research station has been in operation since 1957, initially established to explore the potential of nuclear energy. However, in 1985, the Danish Parliament decided against incorporating nuclear power into the Danish energy supply. The last facility at Risø ceased operation in 2000.

Despite the historical ban, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) recently suggested the possibility of easing the regulations on nuclear power. Other government parties, Venstre and Moderaterne, have also expressed their willingness to abolish the ban.