Remembering the Past in the Future: Building Awareness of Radioactive Waste Repositories Together

The NEA Expert Group on Awareness Preservation (EGAP) focusses on how knowledge in regard to managing high-level radioactive waste could be passed on to future generations. EGAP is also working on new concepts and alternative approaches for a comprehensive strategy on awareness preservation. Progress towards viable and shared records, knowledge and memory (RK&M)/awareness preservation strategies have been documented in the final report of the NEA initiative on the Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory Across Generations (NEA, 2019), where a number of tools and techniques are presented as the “RK&M toolbox”.

In order to disseminate and discuss preliminary results, receive feedback and broaden the discussion to include various stakeholders, EGAP organised the workshop entitled “Remembering the past in the future: Building awareness of radioactive waste repositories together” from 22-24 November 2022. This workshop was held in Tabloo, a multifunctional visitor centre developed near the site of a future radioactive waste disposal facility for low- and intermediate-level short-lived waste, in Dessel, Belgium. Tabloo was developed in close collaboration between the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material (ONDRAF/NIRAS) and local community partnerships – serving as a concrete example of a local approach to awareness preservation of a nuclear repository.

This document summarises the main issues presented and discussed in each of the workshop sessions. It does not compile every detail in each presentation, but focusses on the main points addressed by each presenter and subsequent discussions.