The following key documents produced by us (or predecessor bodies) provide more information on various aspects of geological disposal. They are grouped to reflect the content of the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) White Paper. The list is not exhaustive and you may find other helpful information in our document library and on other organisations' websites.
Frequently Asked Questions related to Geological Disposal (60Kb)
NDA Consultations associated with Geological Disposal
NDA RWMD proposed R&D Strategy (2008) (5Mb)
This document provides draft proposals for a programme of research and development to support implementation of a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste.
This consultation document outlines the proposed aims and objectives of the Strategy and how the NDA proposes to engage and communicate with stakeholders about its work programme on geological disposal.
This consultation document outlines the proposed aims and objectives of the assessments, when and how they would be undertaken in relation to the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) site selection process and how stakeholders could be involved.
2007 Inventory (wastes to be managed)
See UK Radioactive Waste Inventory 2007 Website for the following documents:
Executive Summary (2008)
This summarises the 2007 UK Radioactive Waste Inventory and provides an overview of the amounts of raw waste that either exist or will arise in future.
Main report (2008)
This is the detailed document that provides information on volumes that exist today and will arise in the future.
International data report (2008)
This provides the necessary information required for international reporting to the IAEA.
Review of processes contributing to radioactive waste in the UK (2008)
This report explains how and why radioactive wastes are produced in the UK. Its purpose is to inform those who have no involvement with radioactive waste about the primary processes that give rise to radioactive wastes and how these wastes are dealt with.
Radioactive materials report (2008)
This report provides details of those materials that are not currently classified as waste e.g. plutonium, uranium and spent nuclear fuel, but may be classified as such in the future.
Planning for geological disposal
The viability of a phased geological repository concept for the long term management of the UK’s radioactive waste (Nirex Report (N/122) 2005) (2Mb)
This report sets out why Nirex believed that the UK’s long-lived radioactive waste should be placed in a phased geological repository located between 300 and 1,000m deep in stable rock and the reasoning behind these views.
Geological disposal options for HLW and SF (2008) (7Mb)
This report provides information on a range of high level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel (SF) geological disposal0020concepts, in order to illustrate how geological disposal of HLW and SF might be implemented in the UK.
Concepts for the geological disposal of ILW (2008) (10Mb)
This report provides information concerning the phased geological repository concept (PGRC) which has been developed as the reference option for geological disposal of intermediate level wastes (ILW) and those low level wastes (LLW) not suitable for disposal at the LLW facility near Drigg in Cumbria or at other future near-surface facilities in the UK.
CoRWM Context note 2.6: Repository design and construction (2005) (150Kb)
This note is one in a series that summarise the issues, experience and status in topics that are relevant to the development of a geological facility for the long-term management of intermediate-level and certain low level radioactive waste in the UK.
CoRWM Context note 4.2: Monitoring (2005) (150Kb)
This is another one in the series looking specifically at issues associated with monitoring a geological disposal facility.
Outline design for a reference repository concept for UK High Level Waste/Spent Fuel (2005) (4Mb)
This provides a summary of key data for high level wastes (HLW) and spent fuel (SF), the functional specification and key parameters, which impact on the configuration of the repository design and provides an outline design description.
Issues associated with the co-disposal of ILW/LLW and HLW/SF In the United Kingdom (Waste Management 2002 conference) (215Kb)
This study investigated the co-disposal of low level waste, intermediate level waste, high level waste and spent fuel and summarises the key issues associated with this.
Regulatory scrutiny
The following two documents are available on request via the Environment Agency.
See Overseeing work on the geological disposal of radioactive waste (Environment Agency Website) for:
Review of the new style Nirex Letter of Compliance assessment report NWAT/Nirex/05/04 (2006)
This review provides the Environment Agency’s comments on the format and generic content of two examples of the Letter of Compliance (LoC) Assessment Reports provided by Nirex.
NWAT assessment of the viability of a Phased Geological Repository Concept for the long term management of the UK’s radioactive waste report (2005)
This is the Environment Agency’s review of Nirex’s Report (N/122).
Site assessment process
A proposed framework for Stage 4 of the MRWS Site Selection Process (2008) (2Mb)
This report provides an initial response to Government’s request that the NDA develop proposals for the approach to be used in Stage 4 of the MRWS site selection process.
Letter from Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) (2008) (162Kb)
This letter provides comments on the proposed framework for Stage 4 of the MRWS Site Selection Process from a Swedish perspective.
Letter from London School of Economics (LSE) (2008) (85Kb)
This letter provides comments on the proposed framework for Stage 4 of the MRWS Site Selection Process from an academic perspective.
International position
National policies on the long-term management of higher activity wastes (2008) (50Kb)
This document provides an update on all countries that require a national policy and implementation programme for the long-term management of its wastes.
Literature reviews
Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: Literature Review of UK Experiences of Partnership (2007) (1Mb)
This review investigates how the elements of community partnerships in other countries have been used in the UK.
Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: Literature Review of International Experiences of Partnership (2007) (1Mb)
This review investigates how community partnerships have been used internationally in relation to radioactive waste management programmes, providing an introduction to the concepts of partnership working and outlining the elements that have been part of community partnerships internationally.