Development of an Integrated System for the Long-term Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory relating to Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities - 17099

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has co-ordinated an international initiative to develop a common approach to the preservation of records, knowledge and long-term memory (RK and M), focused on radioactive waste disposals. The work programme has run in two phases, starting in 2011, with the current phase of the project due to be completed in 2018. Preparations for final reporting are now underway. The detailed implementation of an approach to RK and M preservation for any disposal facility will always remain a national decision. However, the NEA project has produced a 'menu' of tools and techniques that can be accessed and adapted to suit national needs. The common source of these menu components will help to ensure that the memory of the repository is kept alive, that messages to future populations can be clearly understood, and that evidence derived from the disposal environment can be properly interpreted. This paper describes the vision for implementation of the RK and M initiative within national programmes. Practical testing of some components of the menu of tools and techniques is currently underway in France, Sweden and USA, with encouraging results. Other disposal facilities, both under development or in planning, are invited to 'road test' the products and provide feedback. Refinement and maintenance of the tools remains important, and the NEA is committed to ensuring the continued accessibility and availability of the project outputs into the future. (authors)