Final disposal of radwaste in salt formations in the Netherlands (OPLA research program)

The Dutch OPLA research program on geological disposal of radioactive waste has been divided into: 1) inventory and comparison of potential disposal concepts and sites; 2) preliminary field research near selected sites; and 3) above-ground field research and exploration of a chosen site. This article gives information on Stage 1, which is almost finished. The OPLA work is internationally linked via participation in the European Community (EC) third five-year R and D program on disposal of radioactive waste and partly subsidized by the EC. To establish the total amount of Dutch nuclear waste, the following basic options have been studied: the nuclear power stations Borssele and Dodewaard will remain operational (500 MWe); additional nuclear capacity of 3000 MWe will become operational in the future. Three sources of radioactive waste can be identified, from: 1) reprocessing; 2) operating power stations, hospitals and laboratories; and 3) decommissioning of NPPs. To establish the heat-producing vitrified waste's influence on the safety of the repository, two periods of interim storage, 10 and 50 years, have been considered. 1 fig