The method for final disposal developed by SKB implies disposing of spent nuclear fuel from Sweden at a depth of approximately 500 metres in Swedish bedrock. The final repository shall be designed so that it does not require maintenance or supervision. The reason for this is that there is no way to guarantee supervision and maintenance over a period of time lasting many thousands of years.
Responsibility of industry
Sweden has made use of nuclear power since the 1960s. Today, nuclear energy represents nearly half of the country's production of electricity. In the mid-1970s, the Swedish Government determined that producers of nuclear power were to be responsible for the safe management of spent nuclear fuel, and in 1976, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) was established. SKB is collectively owned by the Swedish nuclear power industry. One of SKB's tasks is to develop a method for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel for as long a period of time as is necessary to protect people as well as the environment.
SKB’s proposed repository method
SKB's method is called 'KBS-3'. 'KBS' stands for 'nuclear fuel safety' in Swedish, and the number three designates this as the third and most recent version presented by SKB in its research programme.
SKB plans to construct a final repository so that radiation safety is guaranteed by what are known as 'barriers'. The spent nuclear fuel will be placed in canisters with an external shell made of copper and an insert of cast iron. The canisters will be disposed of at a depth of approximately 500 metres in Swedish bedrock. These canisters will be surrounded by a special kind of clay that swells when it comes in contact with groundwater. The entire repository will ultimately be filled with clay.
If you wish to know more about the method developed by SKB, please inquire at its website:
www.skb.se
When will the repository be operational?
If SKB is granted a licence to construct the repository, a great deal of work remains before it becomes operational. SKB will begin by building tunnels and shafts in the bedrock. At the same time, the company will conduct new investigations and report its findings to SSM. Before the final repository can be used, SKB must draw up safety reports that SSM’s experts will then review and approve. If you wish to know more about when SKB estimates that it can begin construction of the final repository, please inquire at its website.
Other final repository methods
In most countries where nuclear power is used, there is an ongoing discussion about how to manage spent nuclear fuel. In Sweden, a final repository in bedrock is the applicable method. Other examples of methods include disposing of spent nuclear fuel in bore holes 3 to 5 kilometres deep, storing it for long periods of time with supervision, dumping the waste into the ocean, disposing of it below glaciers and transmuting the radioactive substances in the spent fuel to more short-lived radioactive products.
The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority will review the method
SKB develops methods for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. SSM will review the proposed method from the perspective of nuclear safety and radiation protection.
Before SSM has reviewed SKB’s application, we cannot comment upon the advantages or disadvantages of the method. If SSM’s experts find that the method does not fulfil safety requirements, SSM will recommend that the Government deny SKB's licensing application.