A comparison of the HLW underground repository cost for the vertical and horizontal emplacement options in Korea

This study presents the results of an economic analysis for a comparison of the vertical and horizontal emplacement alternatives with respect to an HLW repository. According to the cost analysis undertaken in the Korean case, the horizontal emplacement option was more economical than the vertical one. In order to estimate such an emplacement alternative, a conceptual framework should be designed first to the cost objects, and then cost drivers and economic indicators are taken into consideration. The major difference between a vertical emplacement and a horizontal one was that the long horizontal disposal drifts of the horizontal emplacement replace the disposal holes and disposal tunnels of the vertical emplacement with vertical holes. Therefore, in the case of a horizontal emplacement, several canisters are installed in the long horizontal disposal drifts instead of one canister per one disposal hole of the vertical emplacement option.