Disposal programmes and rock laboratories in the OECD

Countries which use nuclear power plants for energy production on a large scale have national programmes for disposal of the radioactive waste which arises. For high-level waste and long-lived intermediate level waste, the principle of disposal in deep-lying geological formations is internationally recognised. The repository concepts vary and are determined to a large extent by the geological possibilities in the country in question. In most countries a facility for in situ tests is considered to be in dispensable to the process of preparing a repository concept, site characterisation and safety demonstration. This is particularly true of the OECD member states which together possess around 80 percent of the worl-wide nuclear power potential today. This article gives an overview of the rock laboratories in these countries, whith references to the respective national disposal programme. (author) 2 figs., 1 tab