The Swiss Strategy for HLW Siting; Parallel Investigation of two Alternative Host Rocks
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THE SWISS STRATEGY FOR HLW SITING; PARALLEL INVESTIGATION OF TWO ALTERNATIVE HOST ROCKS McCombie C., McKinky I.G. LambertA., Thury M., P.Birkhduser Nagra, Hardstrasse 73, 5430 Wettingen, Switzerland
ABSTRACT Regional characterisation studies of two potential host rocks for a HLW repository - the
crystalline basement and the Opalinus clay of Northern Switzerland - have now been completed and documented. Application is now proceeding for the legally required federal, cantonal and communal drilling permits to initiate parallel local investigations in both these formations. The decision to continue with work in both formations is a departure from previously published plans which is intended to maximise the probability that the next major milestone in the HLW programme - demonstrating the feasibility of siting for a deep geological repository in Switzerland - can be reached by the year 2000. This paper reviews the current status of the Swiss HLW programme and outlines the planned "Phase 11"site characterisation of the two chosen sites. 1
INTRODUCTION
Switzerland has a small nuclear power programme (3 GWe); assuming reprocessing of all spent fuel (-3000 t), the total volume of high-level waste (HLW) from the existing programme will amount to only around 500 M3 . As the volume of HLW is so small, long-term intermediate
storage is practical; a facility based on dry cask storage will be built and there is no urgent technical requirement for a national HLW disposal facility. Indeed, given the small quantity of HLW, disposal as part of a joint (international) project would be attractive on economic and technical grounds and this option is expressly left open at present. Demonstration of the feasibility of safe nuclear waste disposal within Switzerland is, however, required by the amended Swiss nuclear law of 1979. Coupling of the granting of continued operation licenses for the nuclear plants to demonstration of safety and feasibility was an incentive which led to the major Project Gewlhr 1985 (PG'85) analysis'. Project Gewdhr established the concept of 2 Swiss repositories - one for low and intermediate-level 2 waste (IJILW) and one for HLW and long-lived ILW. The review of PG'85 by the authorities concluded that the feasibility of siting and constructing a safe IJILW repository was fully demonstrated and, recently, a specific site for such a facility was selected (Wellenberg). For the HLW repository, the authorities considered that the disposal concept proposed and associated performance assessments demonstrated the basic feasibility of achieving adequate safety provided a suitable siting area can be found. This siting question was judged by the authorities to be still open and specific further work demonstrating the feasibility of identifying a suitable site was required by the government as the next step on the path towards realisation of a HLW disposal system. In addition to further characterisation of the spatial extent of suitable crystalline rocks, specific investigations of sedimentary host rocks were suggested.
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