Research programme carried out at Bure by Andra: Comparison of the Bure and Mont Terri rock laboratories

The sedimentological and geochemical context and more specifically the organization of the porosity, the fluid/rock interactions, and diffusion and retention characteristics of the rock make it possible to propose the transposition of the phenomenological design approaches and the comparison of results between Mont Terri and Bure. However, the difference in tectonic historical background leads to completely different situations concerning both the state of in situ natural stresses and the mechanical behaviour of the shafts and drifts. The large amount of work carried out at Mont Terri for the past ten years has helped Andra to submit an overall report for the Bure site. The global knowledge acquired and the lessons learned at Mont Terri provided the required relevant data and analyses for proposing a scientific approach for the design, evolution and safety assessment of a deep geological disposal. (author)