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Summary. Strategic Environmental Assessment PALLAS

Auteur	Pallas, Arcadis, NRG
	1-01-8-56-17.pdf
Datum	oktober 2017
Classificatie	1.01.8.56/17 (PALLAS PETTEN - VERGUNNINGSPROCEDURES)
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Summary
Strategic Environmental Assessment PALLAS
October 2017
Pallas, Arcadis, NRG

Introduction
The High Flux Reactor (HFR) in the dunes at Petten commenced operations in 
1960. Since that time, ‘Petten’ has expanded into the world's largest 
supplier of medical isotopes. These medical isotopes are used in hospitals: 
for obtaining diagnoses (cancer, cardiovascular diseases) and for treatments.
 More than 24,000 patients a day worldwide undergo research or treatment 
 using medical isotopes produced in the HFR at Petten. The continual 
 availability of these isotopes, and the guarantee that they can be supplied 
 at any given moment, is crucial for many people, sometimes even a matter of 
 life and death.
The HFR is fast approaching the end of its economic lifespan. If nothing is 
done, expectations are that it will gradually require more and more time and 
money for maintenance and repairs. Yet the production of medical isotopes 
must not be put at risk, as this would affect the security of supply of the 
isotopes. It has therefore been decided to construct a new reactor at the 
Research Location Petten: the PALLAS-reactor.
The aerial photo (Figure 1) shows the current layout of the Research Location 
Petten. The HFR complex is highlighted in red. The black dotted line 
indicates the envisaged site for the new PALLAS-reactor.

Preparatory steps
At the end of 2013, the ‘Foundation Preparation PALLAS- reactor’ was 
founded, abbreviated: ‘PALLAS’. PALLAS aims to start construction of the 
new reactor and related facilities in 2020. A great deal of work has been 
initiated in recent years. Figure 2 shows the key steps over the coming 
period before construction may commence. One of the tasks of PALLAS is to 
ensure that a specific design is finalized: step by step and more and 
more various points over the coming period in which the authorized 
government bodies need to take decisions. Each step is important, but 
there are two clear milestones: 
• revision of the current zoning plan;
• the decision regarding the Nuclear Energy Act permit (NEA permit).
For both milestones, the statutory environmental impact assessment 
procedure ensures that sufficient environmental information is available 
in advance of the decision-making process, so that the authorized 
government bodies are able to comprehensively assess the environmental 
interests. The environmental information is presented in a strategic 
environmental assessment, the SEA. PALLAS has commissioned two SEAs for 
this project: 
• a SEA for revising the zoning plan;
• an EIA (much more detailed) for the NEA permit that PALLAS is 
expected to request in 2019/2020.