The radioactive waste at the old Søve mines

According to NND, the objective is to ensure that the area can be used without restrictions and that the waste no longer causes inconvenience to the population and the environment. 

It is important to remember that the radioactive slag heap does not originate from the mining itself or the production of niobium raw material.

Geological Advisor Sven Dahlgren (2005) says there is a distinction between waste after the mining operation (tailings) and production waste (slag) from the fabrication of the metallurgical product ferronium. Tailings from the mining and production of niobium raw material did not lead to radioactive waste. 

The radioactive slag is waste from the industrial production of ferronium in the period 1958-1965. Ferroniobium was made in a metallurgical process where an alloy of iron (40%) and niobium (60%) was produced. This is explained in the 2005-report. 

In the production of ferroniobium, the natural elements uranium and thorium were concentrated to an unnatural level in the slag, which was deposited on a slope outside the workshop building, as well as in another area of ​​concentration, states NND. 

Today, the slag is mixed with other materials and is partially covered. The Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) considers that the level of activity in the area of ​​the decommissioned mine is so high that permanent safeguarding of parts of the residual material must be carried out. On 14 March 2014, the Ministry of Industry and Fisheries (NFD) was ordered by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (currently DSA) to finance and carry out the clean-up in Søve mines. On 1 January 2020, NND was commissioned to take over responsibility for the clean-up in Søve mines.

Read more about NND's work to clean up here.