1. The Swiss geological programme and the role of storage Jürg Schneider National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste International Workshop on HLW & SF Management – Storage & Disposal 29 November – 1 December, 2011, Stockholm, Sweden

2. Structure of the presentation  Swiss waste management concept  Legal framework  Swiss site selection plan (‘Sectoral Plan’)  Status of national programme  Status of HLW & spent fuel interim storage  Management of spent fuel  Summary & conclusions IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811112

3. 3 Swiss waste management concept  Spent fuel (SF) & vitrified high-level waste (HLW)  HLW repository  Long-lived intermediate-level waste (ILW)  HLW repository (co-disposal)  Low- and intermediate-level waste (L/ILW)  L/ILW repository Nuclear Energy Law: Disposal of all waste types in geological repositories

4. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811114 Differences in radiotoxicity … …result in different requirements on geology  2 types of repositories L/ILW repository HLW repository

5. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811115 Geological repositories HLW repository P.M.: Option of a ‘combined repository’ L/ILW repository

6. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811116 Geological repository for SF, HLW & ILW Ramp Disposal tunnels SF / HLW Shaft SF / HLW canister Disposal tunnel with bentonite backfill Host rock (Opalinus Clay) Disposal tunnel ILW

7. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811117 Legal framework: EKRA Commission  Expertengruppe Entsorgungskonzepte für radioaktive Abfälle (EKRA) -High-ranking commission established by the Swiss Government with the mandate to consider all possibilities for nuclear waste management and to suggest a preferred option -Final Report published 31 January 2000 -Key result: The preferred option is. deep geological disposal with monitoring & the possibility of retrieval ‘without undue efforts’ -And: Neither interim storage facilities nor surface-based repositories nor open deep geological repositories that rely on active surveillance meet the primary target of long-term safety  This is reflected in the Nuclear Energy Law of 2005

8. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811118 Limits of predictability of a geological disposal system No confidence in long-term reliability of human society (geology is more stable than human society)

9. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_2811119 Legal framework: Nuclear Energy Law (1) Key issues related to waste management  Disposal of all waste categories in geological repositories in Switzerland that have to allow for monitoring for an extended period of time before full closure. During this period, retrieval of the waste must be feasible with reasonable effort.  Concept of Monitored Geological Disposal (but: option for disposal abroad under certain conditions kept open)  Components of a deep geological repository -Main facility: contains bulk of waste; no monitoring equipment -Pilot facility: small but representative fraction of waste; instrumented; monitoring for an extended period; decision for closure of repository to be taken based on monitoring results (‘evolution as expected’) -Test area: ~ site-specific URL  Producers of radioactive waste are responsible for safe long-term disposal  Federal Government is responsible for radioactive waste from medicine, industry and research

10. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111110 Legal framework: Nuclear Energy Law (2) Key issues related to waste management (continued)  Commitment of Federal Government: Requirement of a Waste Management Programme which has to describe the different steps for preparing disposal of all radioactive waste. The Waste Management Programme is developed by the waste producers (  Nagra on their behalf), reviewed by the relevant authorities and approved by the Federal Government  first report published October 2008 (NTB 08-01, in German)  General licence for repository (which defines the site) must be approved by the Federal Government & by both Houses of Parliament and is subject to a facultative national referendum  Licensing of site characterisation work, construction, operation and sealing of a repository: Responsibility of Federal Government  Moratorium on reprocessing of spent fuel for 10 years (starting 2006)  Site selection process: Federal Government defines & manages the process with involvement of Cantons and other stakeholders in the framework of the existing land use planning legislation  Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories

11. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111111 Swiss site selection plan (1)  The Federal Government (Federal Office of Energy) is taking a leading role in the site selection process in Switzerland  The site selection procedure was developed following a broad participatory process  Sectoral Plan for deep geological repositories  Sectoral Plan issued on April 2, 2008, by the Federal Government  Stakeholder participation and the roles of the stakeholders are clearly defined in the Sectoral Plan  According to the Sectoral Plan, site selection follows a stepwise process (3 stages, see following slide)  Afterwards: general licence procedure -preparation of documentation by implementer -authority review -government decision -ratification by parliament -facultative national referendum

12. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111112 Swiss site selection plan (2)  Part 1: Concept -Aims, boundary conditions -Procedure (steps, role & responsibilities of stakeholders, products) -Criteria (safety & feasibility, land use planning & socio-economic issues)  Part 2: Implementation -Stage 1 (~ 2.5 a): identification of potential siting regions focus: long-term safety & engineering feasibility  geology -Stage 2 (~ 2.5 a): identification of sites for surface infrastructure within potential siting regions & selection of ≥ 2 siting regions for more detailed evaluation; focus: land use planning & environmental impact (sites), ‘provisional safety analyses’ 1 for all siting regions  sites for surface infrastructure & siting regions (safety) -Stage 3 (~ 2.5 – 4.5 a): field investigations & selection of 1 site  preparation of a safety case for the repository at the selected site for the general licence application 1 Term defined in Sectoral Plan & in more detail in ENSI 33/075

13. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111113 Status of national programme Focus on implementation of Swiss site selection plan ‘Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories – Conceptual Part’  Stage 1 (~ 2.5 a): identification of potential siting regions focus: long-term safety & engineering feasibility  geology  Stage 2 (~ 2.5 a): identification of sites for surface infrastructure within potential siting regions & selection of ≥ 2 siting regions for more detailed evaluation focus: land use planning & environmental impact (sites), “provisional safety analyses” for all siting regions  sites for surface infrastructure & siting regions (safety)  Stage 3 (~ 2.5 – 4.5 a): field investigations & selection of 1 site  preparation of a safety case for the repository at the selected site for the general licence application available in English from: http://www.bfe.admin.ch/radioaktiveabfaelle December 2011

14. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111114 Status of HLW and spent fuel interim storage  Interim storage required -until deep geological repositories are available 1 -until radiogenic heat production of HLW and spent fuel has declined to acceptable levels 2 (current Swiss concept: ≤ 1500 W/can. at emplacement)  Interim storage firmly established in Switzerland -ZWILAG (utility owned) -Federal Storage Facility for MIR waste (‘BZL’) -nuclear power plant on-site interim storage (SF / HLW / ILW)  Enough interim storage capacity available for all waste from current Swiss nuclear power plants 2 Criterion: max. temperature in bentonite backfill (& in surrounding host rock) 1 HLW repository: not before ~ 2050; L/ILW repository: not before ~ 2035

15. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111115 HLW and spent fuel interim storage at ZWILAG Low- and intermediate level waste Interim storage at ZWILAG (Würenlingen) Vitrified HLW from reprocessing Spent fuel Interim storage in transport & storage casks at ZWILAG (Würenlingen)

16. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111116 Interim storage capacity in Switzerland from NTB 08-01

17. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111117 Management of spent fuel (1)  Reprocessing contracts with France and the UK for ~ 1100 tU (~ completed)  Pu in spent fuel used to produce MOX fuel  no Pu waste  MOX fuel used by the two PWR NPPs (BU up to 60 GWd/t IHM )  Concept for meeting 1500 W/can. requirement at emplacement: Use of optimised mixing 1 of FAs  3 canister types -BWR UO 2 : max. 9 FA per can. with a history 2 compatible with 1500 W/can. requirement -PWR UO 2 : max. 4 FA per can. with a history 2 compatible with 1500 W/can. requirement -PWR MOX: 1 MOX FA + max. 3 UO 2 FA per can. with a history 2 compatible with 1500 W/can. requirement 1 using method of ‘simulated annealing’ 2 burnup, duration of interim storage

18. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111118 Management of spent fuel (2)  Nuclear Energy Law of 2005 contains a moratorium for reprocessing within a 10-year period starting July 1, 2006  Assumption for current Swiss projects: No further reprocessing; remaining spent fuel 1 from the Swiss nuclear power programme  direct disposal 1 ~ 2400 tU for an assumed operating period of the NPPs of 50 a

19. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111119 Summary & conclusions  Swiss waste management concept: Established and documented in Technical Report NTB 08-01 (required by Nuclear Energy Law)  Legal framework: Established (revised Nuclear Energy Law 2005)  Swiss site selection plan (‘Sectoral Plan’): Established (2008)  Status of Swiss waste management programme: Focus on site selection according to three-stage ‘Sectoral Plan’; nearing end of Stage 1 (geological siting regions proposed by Nagra to be confirmed by Swiss Government)  Status of HLW and Spent Fuel interim storage: Enough interim storage capacity available for all waste from current Swiss nuclear power plants  Management of spent fuel: 10-year moratorium starting July 1, 2006; assumption for current Swiss projects: no further reprocessing; but: significant amount of SF already reprocessed, with Pu in SF used to produce MOX fuel for Swiss NPPs

20. Thank you!

21. IAEA_WS_Stockholm_Schneider_28111121... and if you want to know more...  www.nagra.ch (Reports in German, with English summary)  Swiss radioactive waste management programme (to be approved by Swiss Government) -NTB 08-01  Site selection – Stage 1 (identification of geological siting regions) -NTB 08-03 (requirements, procedure, results) -NTB 08-04 (geology) -NTB 08-05 (safety) -NTB 10-01 (assessment of state of knowledge of geological conditions in the siting regions proposed by Nagra in view of the provisional safety analyses required for Stage 2)