The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE) has joined the Mont Terri Project in Switzerland to further consolidate and deepen its scientific knowledge about the disposal of nuclear waste. The project involving the internationally renowned rock laboratory is conducting research into the disposal of radioactive matter in clay rock. The BfE’s membership starts on 1 July 2019.

A knowledge base for tasks handled by the supervisory and regulatory body

“Our partnership with Mont Terri enables us to prepare and perform experiments independently and in conjunction with the international partners. This will increase our knowledge for our tasks as the German government’s supervisory and regulatory body, as we search for a disposal site for nuclear waste,” says Dr Axel Liebscher, Head of the Research Division at the BfE. “This gives us access to the results from more than 20 years of research into clay rock and we can exchange ideas and network with other European regulatory bodies.” 19 organisations from Belgium, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Great Britain and the USA are involved in the research activities. The organisations represent regulatory authorities, operators, research facilities and technical institutes.

No order of priority for host rocks

As rock salt and crystalline rocks are options as host rocks in Germany as well as clay rock, the BfE’s research work covers all three possible types. “The rocks have different advantages and disadvantages. But we cannot draw up any order of priority. In the end, the overall concept will be the crucial factor when assessing the best possible safe site for permanently storing nuclear waste,” Liebscher adds. In addition to the Mont Terri Project, the BfE is therefore planning cooperation arrangements and partnerships with research institutes that are examining salt and crystalline rock formations.

Background: tasks in the site selection procedure

The BfE is administering and monitoring the search for a disposal site for high-level radioactive waste in Germany. The federal body is also organising public participation in this process. The public-sector company, Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal), has been commissioned to explore and investigate possible sites. The search started in May 2017 when the German parliament passed the Site Selection Act. The BfE has recently drawn up a research strategy and agenda so that it can assess safety issues in line with the latest findings in science and technology and acquire specialist expertise. They have been discussed with experts and the general public.

Information in brief: Mont Terri rock laboratory

The rock laboratory in the Swiss canton of Jura offers various opportunities for conducting experiments in several mining tunnels at a depth of 300 metres. International research has been continuing into clay rock at Mont Terri since 1996. The Swiss Federal Office for Topography (swisstopo) operates the rock laboratory and manages the project.