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

Originally slated to be operational in 2023, the project was then pushed to 2029. The current delay adds another year, setting the new target at 2030.

Mikkel Øberg, Director of Radiation Protection at Dansk Dekommissionering, told Politiken that the complexity of the project and the need for extensive discussions among decision-makers have contributed to the postponement.

The majority of the 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters of existing waste at Risø consists of contaminated material from hospitals and low-level waste, such as old fire alarms.

In 2018, a political decision was made to upgrade the storage facilities at Risø to protect against storm surges and the impacts of climate change. The plan is to store the radioactive waste at Risø until 2073, after which a deep geological repository will be used.

The Risø research station, established in 1957 to explore nuclear energy possibilities, ceased operations in 2000 after Parliament decided in 1985 against including nuclear power in Denmark’s energy supply.

Recently, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and other government parties have indicated a willingness to reconsider the ban on nuclear power.