Application of a Regulatory Performance Assessment Approach for Comparison with the Proponent’s Calculations

To be able to carry out review functions regulatory authorities must be able to make critical evaluations of proponents PA cases. In Sweden the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) aims to have in place its own suite of performance assessment (PA) tools. These will be used to address the forthcoming PAs submitted by the Swedish Nuclear Waste Management Company (SKB)for an encapsulation plant (2006) and a geological repository for spent fuel (2008). This paper looks at the role and application of the regulator's models to important features of current modelling in SKB's latest PAs. The SSI modelling tools are applied to a mire system in which radionuclides are assumed to be released from a geological repository. Results are presented which illustrate the importance of a deeper understanding of the geosphere-biosphere interface zone than has been the case in assessments to date.