At the Caorso site, radioactive waste from past operations and ongoing decommissioning is stored in three temporary facilities. The ERSBA 1 and ERSBA 2 facilities hold low-level solid waste, while the ERSMA facility stores intermediate-level solid waste. These facilities currently contain both conditioned waste and waste awaiting treatment. Once a national radioactive waste repository is operational, the waste will be transferred there.
Upgrades are underway to align the interim storage facilities with current safety requirements. The ERSBA 1 and ERSBA 2 facilities are being demolished and reconstructed, while the ERSMA facility is being modified through internal structural changes. Work on the ERSMA facility is ongoing, and the ERSBA 2 facility upgrades were completed in 2023.
Societa Gestione Impianti Nucleari SpA (Sogin), the state-owned company overseeing Italy’s nuclear decommissioning, has confirmed that demolition of the ERSBA 1 facility has started. Sogin stated: “The adaptation of the three storage facilities avoids the construction of new temporary storage facilities on the site.”
The ERSBA 1 structure, measuring 50 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 6 meters high, will see its roof, concrete walls, and foundations dismantled. A new storage facility, with a similar volume, will be built on the same site. Upon completion, two overhead cranes will be installed to handle waste containers and support plant operations.
The Caorso plant, an 860 MWe boiling water reactor, ceased operations in 1990 after 12 years and is now being decommissioned. The decommissioning license was granted in 2014, and dismantling of the reactor building’s systems and components began in November 2024. Approximately 3,400 tonnes of material will be removed, with 88% expected to be releasable after treatment and decontamination. The remaining 12% will be managed as radioactive waste and stored on-site until the national repository is available.
