21 Jul (NucNet): Sweden’s Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) has approved construction of the European Spallation Source (ESS) research facility at Lund in southern Sweden, although further licences will be needed before the facility can operate.
Approval means ESS can “establish, acquire and possess technical device and other components intended to produce ionising radiation”. The approval is linked to a number of specific conditions for ESS in areas such as physical security and radioactive waste management, SSM said.
The ESS facility is one of the largest science and technology infrastructure projects being built today. Plans include a linear proton accelerator, a heavy-metal target station, a range of neutron instruments, a suite of laboratories, and a supercomputing data management and software development centre.
ESS said a neutron source and its complementary detection instruments enable scientists to see and understand basic atomic structures and forces. It can be compared to a giant microscope for the study of different materials – including plastics and pharmaceuticals, engines and molecules.
ESS is a pan-European project. It will be built by at least 17 European countries, with Sweden and Denmark as host nations. The ESS facility will be built in Lund, whilst the ESS data management and software centre will be in Copenhagen.
The Swedish Environmental Court approved construction plans in June 2014.
