Garoña, what comes
Garoña has been a symbol. A symbol for the Spanish nuclear industry -- the second central in Spain and the largest in Western Europe at the time -- and a symbol for the Basques, especially for social movements that do not want nuclear energy. It is now standing and although the Spanish government has announced the closure, it has not made a final decision.
Like Garoña, in the world many other nuclear power plants are reaching the end of their service life and 143 reactors are already closed or stopped (for six hundredths total). But with the total shoot down, much less: eight. And although there are standard demolition protocols, it is necessary to design and execute them in each case, typical of each plant. The Garoña is prepared once closed. It will then take 40 to 50 years to completely demolish, that is, until the area occupied by the central is emptied.
It can extend the term, but is negligible along with the duration of radioactive waste. In fact, the demolition of the power plants is only a small part of the whole process. A huge challenge, which also flees from the human capacity to represent time, are long-lasting nuclear waste, such as exhausted fuel. These waste will be hazardous to the environment and humans for 100,000 years. It is as much as the whole history of our species, and if our experience with nuclear power plants is small, what to say about it.
The best option we have in hand is the sealing in deep, geologically stable underground areas and the wait for deposits to remain for tens of thousands of years. The documentary Into Eternity, by Danish director Michael Madsen, highlights the depth of the litigation of this opportunity around the underground storage of Onkalo, under construction in Finland. How to ensure the safety of future generations by leaving the least or no responsibility for them? XXII. After being sealed in the 20th century, Onkalo is forever forgotten or has to forget what is there forever? Responsibility is great and ours.
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