Verifying spent nuclear fuel in deep geological repositories (Chinese Edition)

As the world looks to alternatives to fossil fuels to combat climate change, several countries are developing nuclear power programmes to provide a sustainable source of low carbon energy. Countries operating nuclear reactors are responsible for providing geological disposal capacity for high-level radioactive waste. The internationally well-established approach for such disposal is a mined deep geological repository (DGR). Canada, Finland, France, Sweden and Switzerland have the most advanced DGR programmes. Examples of the new facilities under development include the Encapsulation Plant (EP) and DGR in Finland — the former is where spent fuel will be safely sealed in disposal canisters, the latter is where the canisters will then be permanently and safely stored. Both are required to comply with Finland's international legal obligations to allow for the IAEA's verification of the peaceful use of nuclear material. The IAEA fulfils its nuclear verification mission by implementing a series of technical measures — safeguards — to oversee nuclear facilities, materials and activities. These measures allow the IAEA to independently verify that States are fulfilling their legal responsibility to use nuclear material only for peaceful purposes. States accept these measures by entering into safeguards agreements with the IAEA. Consequently, by performing safeguards, the IAEA can provide the world with credible assurances that States are meeting their nuclear non-proliferation commitments.