Radioactive substances, emissions by Dutch nuclear power plants, 1975-2001
| Unit1 | 1975-79 2 | 1980-84 | 1985-89 | 1990-94 | 1995-99 | 2000 | 2001 | |
| Borssele | ||||||||
| Production | PJ | 11.1 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 13.5 | |||
| Emissions into ambient air | ||||||||
| Inert gases | GBq/yr | 60 200 | 15 600 | 1 680 | 8 390 | 5 890 | 1 950 | 4 730 |
| Tritium | GBq/yr | 594 | 570 | 408 | 392 | 289 | 300 | 277 |
| Iodine-131 | GBq/yr | 0.24 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.005 | 0.027 |
| Aerosol-bonded | GBq/yr | 0.15 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.001 |
| Discharge into surface water | ||||||||
| Tritium | GBq/yr | 4 360 | 6 100 | 5 480 | 4 930 | 6 020 | 7 700 | 6 530 |
| Other nuclides | GBq/yr | 26 | 11 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.59 | 0.33 | 0.58 |
| Dodewaard | ||||||||
| Production | ??PJ | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |||
| Emissions into ambient air | ||||||||
| Inert gases | GBq/yr | 213 000 | 44 400 | 6 740 | 13 500 | 6 410 | <140 | 0 |
| Tritium | GBq/yr | 110 | 137 | 51 | 10 | 1.5 | 0.68 | |
| Iodine-131 | GBq/yr | 0.053 | 0.040 | 0.018 | 0.011 | 0 | <0.002 | |
| Aerosol-bonded | GBq/yr | 0.042 | 0.038 | 0.009 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.001 | |
| Discharge into surface water | ||||||||
| Tritium | GBq/yr | 330 | 206 | 159 | 13 | 1.4 | 0.25 | |
| Other nuclides | GBq/yr | 21 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 0.7 | 0.82 | |
| Source: Eleveld et al., 2002. | RIVM/ EDC/Oct02 | |||||||
| 1) The becquerel (Bq) is a unit of radioactivity. GBq/yr stands for Gigabecquerels per year. 2) Average emission over a period of five years. | ||||||||
Developments in emissions of radioactive substances by nuclear power plants
Tighter standards and vastly improved treatment techniques have enabled both of the Netherlands' nuclear power plants to achieve continuous reductions in emissions to air and water. An exception is tritium in the wastewater from Borssele. There is still no treatment technique for removing tritium from wastewater.
The Dodewaard plant has been out of service since March 1997. Discharges into water from the Dodewaard nuclear power plant in 2001 come mainly from the storage of used nuclear fuel rods and work in the plant laboratory.
Policy
The emissions from both the Borssele and Dodewaard nuclear power plants are well within the limits stated in the permits.
Relevance
Human exposure to radiation caused by discharges of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants (less than 1 microSv per year) is extremely low compared to other sources.
