A five-year contract worth some NOK 40 million for handling low-level radioactive waste (LRW) has been awarded by Statoil to the hazardous waste company Wergeland-Halsvik.
This job covers transport, preliminary treatment and deposition of the waste within Gulen local authority in the west Norwegian county of Sogn og Fjordane.
The contract is conditional on securing all necessary government approvals and guarantees. Statoil hopes the repository can become operational in late 2005.
About 200 tonnes of LRW are currently held by the group in temporary storage at bases in Norway. Its activities generate roughly 20-30 tonnes of this waste annually.
“The contract process has sought the best solution for LRW in environmental, technical and economic terms,” says Bente Aleksandersen, vice president for health, safety and the environment in Statoil's Exploration & Production Norway business area.
“After a long and detailed process, we have resolved to award the job to Wergeland-Halsvik.”
The contract includes an option for two three-year extensions, and another option allows other operators to take advantage of its provisions.