One Step at a Time The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste (2003) / Chapter Skim
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1. Introduction
1. Introduction
Pages 13-24
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From page 13... ...
on the disposition of high-level waste, and reflects current consensus in the international radioactive waste management arena (NEA, ~ 999a,b; EDRAM, 2002~. The 2001 National Research Council report also emphasizes the enhanced learning opportunities available in a staged approach.
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From page 14... ...
. The present report builds on the 1990 and 2001 National Research Council reports on geologic disposal of high-level radioactive waste and expands on this committee's progress report released in March 2002 (NRC, 1990, 2001, 2002a)
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and impasses in the disposal of nuclear waste in nearly every radioactive waste management program has prompted various countries to reassess management approaches for the development of geologic repositories. One important concept emerged: A central feature of a new management approach might be to proceed in steps or stages (EDRAM, 2002; NEA, 1999a)
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The remaining chapters discuss Adaptive Staging for geologic repository programs. Chapter 3 describes activities involved in repository development phases as well as the institutional and societal context of high-level waste geologic disposal.
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17 The time frame for each phase varies considerably: from a few years to decades for selecting the geologic disposal option and the site; through several decades of operations, and up to centuries for the closure; and many thousands of years for the post-closure phase. Not all national repository programs include all these phases.
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radioactive waste geologic repository site in Nevada, United States. On the right, the Hoover Dam, Nevada.
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This uncertainty in geotechnical conditions at some distance from the dam would have a minimal impact on its integrity; however, for a geologic repository, this uncertainly may hide serious flaws in the natural barriers that are relied upon as the ultimate protection in the event of failure of a repository's engineered barriers. · Dams are used and directly observable by the public as well as by scientists and engineers for monitoring over their entire life span; whereas after waste emplacement begins, a geologic repository will not be directly observable for most of its life span (i.e., after closure)
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Many aspects of radioactive waste management are controversial, this controversy being often associated with the more general debate on nuclear energy. There is often little or no societal agreement on waste management goals, siting, disposing, transporting, securing, funding, and policymaking.
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When the maintenance of confidence by a broad audience of stakeholders and the general public is essential, it becomes particularly important to communicate carefully and accurately in ways that make information accessible to parties beyond narrow experts speaking an insider language. This objective is of particular importance in the context of this study because geologic disposal programs are dependent upon a wide variety of scientific, technical, and analytical areas of expertise and because the proposed Adaptive Staging approach emphasizes the need for transparency and integrity.
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First and foremost, the ultimate measure of success of a repository is the extent to which it isolates the waste from the accessible environment for all future time during which the waste remains hazardous. In the committee's view a more pragmatic and useful definition of success for the implementer focuses on a safe geologic repository that is also cost-effective,44 follows an adaptable reference frameworks rather than a rigid schedule, and is societally acceptable.
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This milestone of initial waste emplacement is important for the implementer to demonstrate the technical and societal viability of geologic disposals A successful repository program is one that convinces the technical, regulatory, stakeholder,46 and policy communities that the repository will be safe enough to close, but that 43Adequate funding arrangements are obviously important throughout a repository program. Given the unusually long time frame of the operational phase of the repository (perhaps 50 to 300 years)
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recognition that protecting public and worker health and safely at all times is the highest goal, taking precedence over minimizing the time or the costs for implementing disposal projects for radioactive wastes; · deliberate incorporation of technical and societal input (including input provided by stakeholders) into the stages of the reference framework to maximize safety, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability; .
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