PROGRESS AND TRENDS IN THE BELGIAN PROGRAMME ON HIGH-LEVEL WASTE DISPOSAL

Waste and clay characterization in the context of radioactive waste disposal extends over 25 years. For high-level and long-lived waste, no siting procedure has yet been launched in Belgium. The studies on geological disposal are referring to a potential host rock, the Tertiary Boom Clay Formation. At SCK•CEN, special attention has been devoted to the radioactive waste characterization, the migration studies in clay, and the geomechanical behavior of this potential host rock. Performance studies help in assessing the level of confidence that must be achieved at the various stages of the characterization in both near and far fields. The waste characterization issue rapidly extended towards the study of compatibility of these waste forms in the near field and geological environment, with a view to define acceptance criteria. Present activities include a research and development programme on spent fuel that is becoming, in parallel with ongoing studies on glass, an important issue in the frame of alternative fuel cycle policies in Belgium. Our capabilities in research on migration are being extended on both experimental and modelling fields by developing electromigration techniques and geochemical coupled transport code