New Design for an HLW Repository (for Spent Fuel and Waste from Reprocessing) in a Salt Formation in Germany - 12213

In autumn 2010, after a 10-year moratorium, exploration was resumed in Gorleben, the potential site for a German HLW repository. At the same time, the Federal Government launched a two-year preliminary safety analysis to assess whether the salt dome at Gorleben is suitable to host all heat-generating radioactive waste generated by German NPPs based on the waste amounts expected at that time. The revised Atomic Energy Act of June 2011 now stipulates a gradual phase-out of nuclear energy production by 2022, which is 13 years earlier than expected in 2010. A repository design was developed which took into account an updated set of data on the amounts and types of expected heat-generating waste, the documented results of the exploration of the Gorleben salt dome, and the new 'Safety Requirements Governing the Final Disposal of Heat-Generating Radioactive Waste' of 30 September, 2010. The latter has a strong influence on the conceptual designs as it requires that retrievability of all waste containers is possible within the repository lifetime. One design considered that all waste containers will be disposed of in horizontal drifts of a geologic repository, while the other design considered that all waste containers will be disposed of in deep verticalmore » boreholes. For both options (emplacement in drifts/emplacement in vertical boreholes), the respective design includes a selection of waste containers, the layout of drifts, respectively lined boreholes, a description of emplacement fields, and backfilling and sealing measures. The design results were described and displayed and the differences between the two main concepts were elaborated and discussed. For the first time in both repository designs the requirement was implemented to retrieve waste canisters during the operational phase. The measures to fulfill this requirement and eventually the consequences were highlighted. It was pointed out that there arises the need to keep transport- and storage casks in adequate numbers and interim storage facilities available until the repository is closed. (authors)« less