Draft licence issued to Betalight BV for temporary storage of Betalights (tritium illumination)
The ANVS intends to authorise Betalight BV’s licence application. Betalight collects Betalights (tritium illumination), such as emergency exit signs, and temporarily stores them. Until 30 May 2025, all individuals are welcome to make their submissions in response to this draft licence.
Small amounts of radioactive gas ensure safe illumination
Tubes containing the radioactive gas tritium are used for illumination when there is no power, or in case of a power outage. Applications include emergency exit signs or escape route signs. The tritium energizes a special coating on the inside of these signs causing it to emit light. Because very little tritium is used in this process and no radiation is emitted through the signs, it is safe.
The goal is recycling
Betalight aims to ensure the highest possible recycling rate for Betalights. They remove time-expired Betalights and store them temporarily at their location in Putten. Once a substantial quantity of Betalights is collected, they are shipped to Canada, where a specialised company repurposes them or their parts.
Safe storage
Licensing is necessary for quantities of signs and other tritium light sources and light devices exceeding 500 items, requiring additional precautions for radiation safety. Betalight has demonstrated that this can be done safely. The storage facility meets safety requirements, with access restricted to authorised individuals only. Additionally, warning signs are displayed and the company has expert staff available. If any packaging containing Betalights is damaged during transport, they check that no tritium has been released.
Responses welcome until 30 May 2025
You can review the draft licence (in Dutch) for Betalight until midnight on 30 May 2025. If you have any views on this draft licence you wish to present, you may do so by stating a view. This can be done in three ways:
- By email: send an email to Postbus.Aanvragenenmelden@anvs.nl and put ‘Statement of view concerning draft licence for Betalight’ in the subject line of your email.
- In writing: send a letter to the ANVS, Statement of View concerning draft licence for Betalight, P.O. Box 16001, 2500 BA, The Hague.
- By phone: call the Information Desk for Nuclear Energy Act licences at +31 (0)88 489 05 00, available from Monday to Friday between 08.30 and 17.00.
Response in final licence
We will respond to the views that have been stated once we have made a final decision on Betalight’s licence application. We will include the stated views and our response to them in our final decision on the licence. We will publish this decision on our website. If you have submitted a statement of view, we will inform you of our decision.