// Repository Design

KOMTESSA

Status of the safety concept and safety demonstration for a SNF/HLW repository in salt (ISIBEL-Status)

The safety and demonstration concept developed in the course of the ISIBEL project was further evolved and applied in the course of the R&D project "Vorläufige Sicherheitsanalyse Gorleben – VSG" (preliminary safety analysis Gorleben) as an example for an HLW repository in a domal salt structure. The repository concepts also consider the requirement for retrievability of stored waste during the operational phase of the repository. The results of the R&D project VSG provide evidence that a safe HLW repository within a salt dome of a suitable geologic structure is feasible. The long-term safety can be ensured using state-of-the-art science and technology. In 2010, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) issued new safety requirements for the disposal of heat-generating radioactive waste. These requirements have been included in the analysis. The results of the KOMTESSA project show the depth of the geological and technical knowledge on final disposal of HLW in a salt dome with a suitable geologic structure. They demonstrate that the tools required for safety evaluations are available and allow reliable safety assessments of HLW repositories in salt formations.