RD&D Programme 2007: Programme for research, development, and demonstration of methods for the management and disposal of nuclear waste

RD&D Programme 2007 presents SKB’s plans for research, development and demonstration during<br/>the period 2008–2013. The plans for the first three-year period are for natural reasons more detailed<br/>than those for the next one. SKB’s activities are divided into two main areas: the nuclear fuel<br/>programme and the programme for low- and intermediate-level waste (the LILW programme).<br/>RD&D Programme 2007 consists of six parts:<br/>Part I SKB’s plan of action<br/>Part II Final repository for spent nuclear fuel<br/>Part III Technology development within the nuclear fuel programme<br/>Part IV Safety assessment and natural science research<br/>Part V Social science research<br/>Part VI LILW programme and decommissioning<br/>The preceding RD&D programme, RD&D-Programme 2004, was mainly focused on the fabrication<br/>and sealing of canisters for spent nuclear fuel. The reason for this was that SKB’s immediate<br/>goal at that time was to submit an application under the Nuclear Activities Act for Clab and the<br/>encapsulation plant. This was done in the autumn of 2006. The next major goal for SKB is to submit<br/>an application under the Nuclear Activities Act for the final repository for spent nuclear fuel and an<br/>application under the Environmental Code for the final repository system at the end of 2009. Much<br/>of the work described in the RD&D programme is being done to obtain technical supporting documentation<br/>for these applications. This RD&D programme is therefore focused on the efforts planned<br/>within technology development, see further Part III.<br/>A brief summary of the contents of each part follows below.