The construction of the National Disposal Facility for Low- and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste (NDF) is set out in the updated National Strategy for Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste by 2030 and is a commitment of the Bulgarian Government to the European Commission.
The future repository will not be used for disposal of spent nuclear fuel, vitrified high level waste or radioactive waste from third countries. It will be used only for low- and intermediate level RAW.
The project is funded through a Grant agreement by Kozloduy International Fund and the value of project’s first phase is 71.8 million Eur. The first RAW disposal module will have a capacity of 6 336 reinforced concrete containers and its commissioning is expected in 2021.
The repository will be at the ground surface, trench type and it will be an installation with multi-barrier protection for long-term storage of preliminary processed, secured and packed in reinforced concrete packages. Throughout NDF operation – 60 years, the incoming radioactive waste will be subject to strict incoming inspection and radiation control and monitoring will be performed both on the facility’s site and the environment. After this the facility will be shut down and will be subject to strict monitoring for another 300 years. The NDF will be one of the most modern facilities of this type in Europe.