Croatia to Dispose of Radioactive Waste at Border with Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2026

(Patria) - The start of construction of the Centre for Radioactive Waste Management at the former Čerkezovac barracks on Trgovska Gora is planned for 2025, with the centre's operation expected to begin in 2026, announced the Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development.

"Previous research works and measurements at the location do not indicate a possible negative outcome in the environmental impact study, but as a final confirmation of the suitability of the Čerkezovac location for the Centre for Radioactive Waste Management, we will await the analysis and interpretation of the conducted research within the study, the results of which will be publicly available," the Ministry told Hina.

The study, they emphasise, will prescribe environmental protection measures to prevent negative impacts during the operation of the radioactive waste storage facility.

Safety analyses and a conceptual design are underway for the purpose of obtaining a location permit, and a request for determining the content of the environmental impact study has been submitted to the Ministry.

During March, a public procedure for determining the content of the environmental impact study was conducted, which includes collecting opinions and comments from the public and competent authorities of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Research works and determination of the baseline radioactivity level in the environment have been completed at the location, including the installation of a measuring station for ambient dose rate.

Seismological stations have been installed at the centre's location, as well as at the Rujevac and Pobrđani locations, and are included in the Croatian network of seismographs and accelerographs.

Additionally, real-time data transmission has been ensured to the Seismological Service in Zagreb and the Hydrometeorological Institute of the Republika Srpska in Banja Luka.

The Croatian Ministry states that "after meetings with representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it can be concluded that there is not the slightest readiness to prove that the project will have no impact on the environment, regardless of the fact that all expert arguments, as well as preliminary results of research works, indicate that there is no cross-border impact during regular operation of the storage facility."

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated on 20 June at a joint session of the Croatian Government and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina that Croatia will apply the highest safety standards in the construction of the radioactive waste disposal site.

Plenković claims that this is waste "that emits very little radiation," such as protective clothing, gloves, and rags, and that spent nuclear fuel, which is high-level radioactive waste, will not be stored there.

Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Staša Košarac earlier stated that he will seek EU support for finding a new location for the disposal site.

Košarac pointed out that the location at Trgovska Gora is unacceptable because it will endanger the health of the nearby population, and that the expert team of Bosnia and Herzegovina "is not satisfied with the flow of information from the Croatian side."

Mayor of the Dvor Municipality Nikola Arbutina stated that everyone in this municipality is against the disposal of radioactive waste in Dvor.