RD&D-Programme 2001 Programme for research, development and demonstration of methods for the management and disposal of nuclear waste

The preceding RD&D-Programme from 1998 was supplemented in December 2000 by an integrated account of method, site selection and programme prior to the site<br/>investigation phase. Since the latter account lies close in time, SKB has chosen to<br/>concentrate RD&D-Programme 2001 on research and technology development. Viewpoints<br/>offered on previous RD&D-programmes and comments from the review of the<br/>SR 97 safety assessment comprise important input for RD&D-Programme 2001. It has<br/>not been possible or appropriate in this report to take into account all the viewpoints<br/>that have emerged in the regulatory authorities’ statements regarding the supplement<br/>to RD&D-Programme 98 presented in June. Many of the review comments will therefore<br/>be dealt with in the continued work with the site investigation programmes.<br/>An overall goal for SKB is to start the initial operation of a deep repository for spent<br/>fuel in 2015. This presumes that site investigations have been commenced at the<br/>beginning of 2002 and that the different phases have been executed without major<br/>changes. Regular operation should then be able to commence in the early 2020s before<br/>the storage pools in CLAB are full, thus avoiding further expansion. The encapsulation<br/>plant should be ready to start roughly one year before the deep repository is finished.