ONDRAF/NIRAS received a permit in 2023 to build and operate the Dessel facility, which will provide a permanent storage solution for Belgium’s low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste. Sigrid Eeckhout, ONDRAF/NIRAS spokesperson, stated: “The decision on the contractors brings us closer to a final destination for all low- and intermediate-level, short-lived waste in Belgium.” The facility’s construction will occur in phases over several decades.
NucleusSafe, a joint venture of Belgian contractors Deckx, BESIX, Vanhout, and Stadsbader, will manage the civil engineering work. The partnership brings extensive experience from projects like the PALLAS reactor foundation pit in the Netherlands, spent fuel storage in Doel and Tihange, and a nuclear medicine facility in Sydney. Mark Beyst, General Manager of BESIX Belgium-Luxembourg, said: “Building on our successful delivery of the foundation pit for the PALLAS reactor in the Netherlands, the spent fuel storage facilities in Doel and Tihange in Belgium, and a state-of-the-art nuclear medicine radioisotope facility in Sydney, we are proud to once again support the development of essential infrastructure in the nuclear sector.”
The Dessel facility will store waste from nuclear power plants, hospitals, research institutes, and decommissioned nuclear sites. Currently, Belgoprocess, an ONDRAF/NIRAS subsidiary, manages this waste in dedicated buildings at the Dessel site. The new facility aims to ensure safe, long-term storage with high standards of safety and precision.
The project underscores Belgium’s commitment to responsible radioactive waste management, leveraging local expertise to deliver critical infrastructure.
