| Chair(s): |
Michael BÜHLER, Germany Kristopher KUHLMAN, United States |
Secretary: |
Shogo NISHIKAWA (shogo.nishikawa@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chair(s): |
Axel SUCKOW, Australia Marcus ALTMAIER, Germany Joachim ENGELHARDT, Germany Jeroen BARTOL, Netherlands Andrzej CHWAS, Poland Alice IONESCU, Romania Simon NORRIS, United Kingdom Donald T. REED, United States Anderson WARD, United States | ||
| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
| Russia (Suspended*) | |||
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 01 May 2011 | ||
| End of mandate: | 31 December 2024 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document NEA/RWM/IGSC(2022)2/FINAL
Background
Repository development for long-lived radioactive waste is a strategic area in the work programme of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) and an area of historical strength for the RWMC. The Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) operates under the auspices of the RWMC and is the premiere international forum fostering confidence-building in repository technical safety cases and the underlying methodological and scientific basis for the purpose of decision-making in repository development.
In the scientific community worldwide, deep geological disposal is accepted as the appropriate way to dispose of spent/used nuclear fuel elements, high-level radioactive waste, and other wastes such as long-lived radioactive waste, safely and securely for long periods. The geological formations that can host deep geological repositories include argillaceous rocks, crystalline rocks, and rock salt.
There is more than a century of modern experience in the mining and operation of salt mines. An advanced scientific and geotechnical understanding of rock salt as an appropriate geological material to host repositories has been accumulated since the latter half of the 20th century by the dedicated research carried out by a number of countries favouring this material. In addition, substantial know-how exists from underground disposal of chemotoxic waste in salt mines and nuclear waste in the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in the United States, as well as the Morsleben repository and the Asse-II mine in Germany.
The behaviour of rock salt under thermal and mechanical loads, as well as under high doses of radiation, is well understood. A wealth of knowledge and experience has resulted from research and development (R&D) activities in fields such as site investigations, in particular with regard to the application of geo-physical techniques, geomechanics, geochemistry, modelling and performance assessment for more than four decades. This knowledge is available and at hand in several countries. A large number of laboratories and in situ experiments, including large-scale experiments in underground research laboratories (URLs), were performed; demonstration activities were conducted; instruments and methods for safety assessments were substantially developed and are being applied. Substantial progress was made in technologies and equipment. There is yet more work to be carried out to expand and substantiate knowledge on salt as a repository host rock.
Experience and expertise are available in the technical organisations (academia, national research centres, industry, research organisations) of the countries which have investigated the use of rock salt. Consequently, the Expert Group on Repositories in Rock Salt Formations (Salt Club) was established in 2011 to make the current knowledge base on rock salt more readily available to the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) member countries and especially to countries with adequate rock salt deposits for a repository.
Scope
Among nations currently considering rock salt as a candidate medium, the Salt Club effectively develops and exchanges scientific information on rock salt as a host rock formation for deep geological repositories and URLs for high-level waste (HLW) and long-lived radioactive waste. By promoting information and knowledge exchange, the Salt Club also intends to stimulate interest in other nations with appreciable rock salt deposits to consider rock salt as a viable repository medium. In addition to the technical aspects, the Salt Club aims to transfer lessons-learned to programmes at different phases of development, fostering education and training of future subject matter experts in the field of rock salt, and co-operating with other NEA bodies [e.g. the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC)] to engender public acceptance and build stakeholder confidence.
The Salt Club’s areas of interest include the following:
Objectives
The Salt Club serves as the international focal point and catalyst for the following objectives:
Working methods
The functional operation of the Salt Club is discussed and refined during its plenary meetings. In addition to discussions that evaluate its programme of work and review progress on specific activities, the Salt Club may also periodically undertake more in-depth evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the Salt Club and update the overall direction of the programme of work. Any decision(s) of the Salt Club are made in its plenary meetings or through written procedure by mutual agreement.
Membership
The Salt Club is a task-oriented expert group. It is composed of senior technical specialists with experience in assembling and/or reviewing the understanding of salt formations as host rocks for deep geological repository projects. Salt Club members are representatives from waste management agencies, regulatory authorities, academic institutions, and research and development institutions. Salt Club members possess a level of seniority in their organisations such that they can mobilise resources within their organisations to contribute to Salt Club initiatives.
Interactions
Through the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC), the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) and the Secretariat, the Salt Club will co-operate with the NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies when relevant. It may also collaborate with the NEA Data Bank.
Deliverables
The Salt Club will produce relevant reports, presentations or workshops with the support of the Secretariat.
