Disposal of high-level waste: objectives, strategies and timescales

High-level waste arises from the fuel cycle of nuclear power plants. The power plants currently in operation will produce, over their entire lifetime, a total of only 3000 tonnes of spent fuel elements of 500 cubic metres of vitrified high-level waste. A three-phase siting strategy has been adopted. The phase I regional investigations were completed in 1993 and have been documented in a series of reports. Phase II focuses on geographically more localised areas and includes investigations in both sedimentary and crystalline formations; this phase will end with the 'Entsorgungsnachweis 2000' project. Applications for permission to carry out exploratory work were submitted in November 1994. Following an interim phase in which international disposal options will also be considered, it will be decided in the next century whether and when phase III, with shaft sinking and underground investigations, will be initiated. (author) 3 figs., tabs