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Scanzano Jonico (or Ionico)
and the
site for a national nuclear waste repository
(in «Stockholm
International Conference on Geological Respositories: Political and
Technical Progress» - december 2003)
After the referendum
held on 1987, Italy has banned the generation of energy from nuclear
reactors.
Currently, Italy is confronted with the problem of dismantling
nuclear power stations and of ensuring safety solution for nuclear
waste (Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and
irradiated fuel elements). Some of the waste presently produced comes
from research, industrial or medical activities (1.500 mc/year of low
and medium level waste).
The numbers of the problem are (Rubbia, 2003):
− 25.000 mc of waste;
− 1.500 elements of depleted nuclear fuel;
− 130 of fresh fuel, 132 of irradiated fuel;
− 33 mc of vitrified wastes;
− 60.000 mc of waste from dismantling.;
− the nuclear materials are stored in quite 150 sites spread across
the national territory and the control standards are not adequate (Draft
Law of conversion of the D.L. 314 - relation).
Currently, the yet-high
connected risks, due to the considerable number of sites and not
homogeneous storage management procedure, seem to be worsened by the
international scenario because of the hyphothesys of terroristic
actions (Draft Law of conversion of the D.L. 314 - relation).
On march 2003, the Italian Prime Minister appointed the President
of the Nuclear Plants Management Company SOGIN as Nuclear Safety
Commissioner, with the specific task to provide the maximum degree of
safety for nuclear materials and to initiate the plants dismantling
procedures. The Commissioner, in agreement with the Conference of
Regional Authorities Presidents, had to promote a study to identify
successful solutions to a centralized management of radiation waste
storage (O.P.C.M. 20.03.2003).
The Decree-Law n.314 of november the 14th has announced the
realization of a national geological storage of all II and III
category nuclear material and the irradiated elements, in the area of
Scanzano Ionico, in the Basilicata Region. The site is declared as
military defence installation of National properties. The Decree-Law
allows emergency procedure and the deadline to complete the work is
12.31.2006. The Company that will realize the work (the same SOGIN)
has to validate the site with a subsequent study. On the same site the
temporary storage structures are to be built. (D.L. 314 14.11.2003)
The selection criteria concerning the technology to be used and of
the identification of the location are not clearly specified. In
the Decree-Law it is held that the site of Scansano has been chosed in
relation of the soil geomorphological features. Many researches have
expressed some reserve on the
identification of the site, in relation to
the proximity to the sea (600mt), the cost regression process of 0.5
m/year, the location in sismic area 3, the geologial features itself,
and the high population density (Rubbia, 2003). The
identification of the site has been neither concerted nor communicated
in advance to the concerned Local Authorities.
The issue of the Decree-Law has created the alarm state among the
population of the area: immediately from the beginning a pacific
occupation of the site has been carried out and information and public
awareness activities have been launched. From the first moment it
was clear, to the common people and to the Local Authorities, that the
implementation of such a depository represents an enormous hazard for
an area larger that the municipal one, involving a great part of
southern Italy, ad for the people living in. It was also clear that,
apart from the health hazard, the construction of a permanent nuclear
storage would seriously damage the tourism and agricultural based
economy of the area. The area of Metapontino, where Scanzano is
located, is a promising touristic reality and an important rural area
whose precious and biological production is exported all over Europe.
During the recent decades many public and private investments have
been making to consolidate and to reinforce the position on touristic
and fruit and vegetables market, according to sustainable development
programmes fostered and supported at EU and local level. The
Government decision on the site would vanish the attempts made by the
local community to preserve the environment, to enhance the natural
resources, and contextually to create concrete opportunities to invert
the depopulation regional trend.
The claim of the Institutions has added to the popular one: the local
municipalities has interpreted the role of mouth piece of worries and
demands from the relevent population; furthermorethe regional
administration has complained the lack of involvement and consultation
in the decision making process.
The awareness-raising activity of the population, Istitutions,
stakeholders, political parties, trade union organizations,
environmental movements, a wide range of gross-roust associations
joining the protest, has achieved a success greater than expected: 14
day long occupation of site and trasport infrastructure facilities
around it, more than 22.000 subscription at the on-line protest
petition demanding the cancellation of the Decree-Law, the formal
demand of cancellation to the Government by the Conference of Regional
Authorities Presidents, the reports of different-field researchers
expressing dissents and doubts on the decision (Rubbia, 2003;
La Reppubblica, 2003a; La Reppubblica, 2003b; Autorità Interregionale
di Bacino della Basilicata, 2003).
The Government has not cancelled the Decree-Law but has amended it
erasing the name of Scanzano, giving the Commissioner one year to
indicate the definitive site by the aid af a scientific commission and
by comparison with other solutions proposed by the Conference of
Regional Authorities Presidents, and confirming the centralized and
accelerated procedure for the environmental impact assessment and the
military concern of the site. (Emandation at the D.L. 314
14.11.2003 on 27.11.2003)
The emendation is only a first achievement; currently the Draft Law of
conversion is object of a debate in the Parlament and the opposition
to it is strong and widespread.
The above mentioned events gives evidence of as the awareness of
population on health, environment, self-determination, land use
planning, and institutional relationship is mature enough so that such
an impacting decision cannot be taken against the will of the people
and without the agreement with local administration. The allocation
and storage of nuclear waste cannot be faced as a mere question of
science or discussed as a technical concern; it is primarily a
political matter, ad
the most recent story of Scanzano has demonstrated it.
A forecast for the future: wherever the Commissioner will decide to
allocate the national final storage of nuclear materials according to
the current Decree-Law, without scientific studies and long-term tests
on-site obout the hazard for population and activities, without a wide
information to the population and without involving the concerned
Local Authorities, there the local comunity will avoid it in every
way. References:
La Repubblica [2003b], A. Cianciullo, Tutti i rischi del cimitero
nucleare, 15.11.2003, p.15, in italian.
La Repubblica [2003a], L. Parise, Pratesi: un’idea discutibile
serviva un altro confronto, 15.11.2003, inserto Bari, p.2, in
italian.
C. Rubbia [2003], Audizione alla VIII Commissione Ambiente della
Camera dei Deputati, in merito al D.L. 14/11/2003 n.314, in
italian.
Autorità Interregionale di Bacino della Basilicata, [2003],
Diagramma della popolazione interessata, in italian.
source: Basilicata Region
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