Republic of Hungary National Report, Second Report, prepared in the Framework on the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

The Republic of Hungary was among the first to sign the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (hereafter Convention), established under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on 29 September 1997, and ratified it on 2 June 1998. The Convention was promulgated in Act LXXVI of 2001. In order to fulfill the obligations of Article 32 of the Convention the present National Report has been prepared and submitted. Apart from this Introduction (Section A), this National Report contains ten more sections and eight annexes in accordance with the Guidelines regarding the Form and Structure of National Reports (INFCIRC/604). Section B describes the general policies and practices in Hungary. Generation of radioactive waste started simultaneously with the introduction of isotope technology in Hungary in the early 1960s. First, a low and intermediate level waste (LLW/ILW) storage was built. As the site proved to be inadequate for long-term disposal, it was closed and cleaned up, and a new site, which is still in operation, was commissioned in 1976. After the commissioning of the four units of Paks Nuclear Power Plant between 1982 and 1987, spent fuel and an increased amount of waste have been generated. A major part of the spent fuel of Paks Nuclear Power Plant was shipped back to the Soviet Union (later Russia) between 1989 and 1998. At present, a modular type interim spent fuel storage is in use and is being enlarged as necessary. The disposal of high level waste (HLW) is a long-term programme. In 1993, Hungary launched a national programme to solve the problems of radioactive waste management. A new, potential site was identified in granite host rock for a below-surface repository that could accommodate the LLW/ILW waste of Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Ongoing investigations at this site are being carried out; a four-year research programme is in progress.