FOREWORD iii CONFERENCE SUMMARY Working together to make geological disposal a reality 1 Scientific and technical presentations 7 KEYNOTES BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION Mr Peter Faross, Director, DG Energy and Transport, Directorate H "Nuclear Energy" 15 Mr Octavi Quintana Trías, Director, DG Research, Directorate J "Energy" (Euratom) 23 SOCIO-POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC ISSUES General introduction and objectives 27 Session I Current situation of geological disposal in the EU Introduction and objectives 29 "Radioactive waste management: Where do we stand?" 31 Mrs Marie-Claude Dupuis, ANDRA (FR) Panel discussion 41 Session II Economical factors governing geological disposal programmes Introduction and objectives 45 "Assessment of financial provisions for nuclear waste management- long-term perspective from a Finnish viewpoint" 47 Mr Eero Patrakka, Posiva Oy (FI), et al. Panel discussion 57 Session III Co-operation in geological disposal Introduction and objectives 61 "Cooperation in the development of geological disposal concepts - benefits and challenges" 63 Ms Monica Hammarström, SKB (SE), et al. Panel discussion 69 Session IV Communication of risk and uncertainties Introduction and objectives 73 "Communicating the safety of radioactive waste disposal - the perspective of a person responsible for science and technology within an implementing organisation" 75 Mr Piet Zuidema, NAGRA (CH) Panel discussion 87 COMMUNITY RESEARCH in RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT - Partitioning and transmutation and geological disposal: 6th Euratom Framework Programme for nuclear research and training activities (2002-2006) Introductory keynote: "The Euratom research and training programme in radioactive waste management" 91 Mr Simon Webster, Head of Unit 'Fission', EC, DG Research Session V Partitioning and Transmutation and its impact on geological disposal Introduction and objectives 103 "An overview of partitioning activities in Europe" 105 Mr Jean-Paul Glatz, EC, JRC-ITU (DE) "Overview of activities in Europe exploring options for transmutation" 113 Mr Dankward Struwe, FZK-IRS (DE), et al. "Impact of partitioning and transmutation on nuclear waste management and the associated geological repositories" 125 Mr Enrique M. González Romero, CIEMAT (ES) "Impact of advanced fuel cycle scenarios on geological disposal" 141 Mr Jan Marivoet, SCK•CEN (BE), et al. Panel discussion 153 Sessions VI to VIII Geological Disposal Introduction and objectives 157 Session VI Near-field processes "Advances in integrating European research on the near-field system" 161 Mr Alain Sneyers, SCK•CEN (BE), et al. "Challenges of assessing long-term performance of nuclear waste matrices in repository near-field environments - insights from the NF-PRO and MICADO projects" 173 Mr Karel Lemmens, SCK•CEN (BE), et al. "Key processes affecting the chemical evolution of the engineered barrier system" 183 Mr David Savage, Quintessa Ltd (UK), et al. "Impact of thermo-hydro-mechanical processes on repository performance" 193 Mr Patrik Sellin, SKB (SE), et al. "Disturbed and damaged zones around underground openings - effects induced by construction and thermal loading" 203 Mr Peter Blümling, NAGRA (CH), et al. "Near-field processes - the challenge of integration into performance assessment" 213 Mr Lawrence H. Johnson, NAGRA (CH), et al. Panel discussion 223 Session VII Repository technologies, actinides and far-field migration processes "ESDRED - an integrated European project focused on technology development" 229 Mr Wolf K. Seidler, ANDRA (FR), et al. "Achievements of the ESDRED project in Buffer Construction Technology" 239 Mr Chris De Bock, ONDRAF/NIRAS (BE), et al. "New transport and emplacement technologies for vitrified waste and spent fuel canisters" 259 Mr Wilhelm Bollingerfehr, DBE Technology GmbH (DE), et al. "Emplacement of heavy canisters into horizontal disposal drifts using fluid (air/water) cushion technology" 269 Mr Stig Pettersson, SKB (SE) et al. "Application of low pH concrete in the construction and the operation of underground repositories - ESDRED Module 4" 279 Mr José Luis García Siñeriz, AITEMIN (ES), et al. "ACTINET - a network of excellence in actinide sciences" 291 Mr Thomas Fanghänel, EC, JRC-ITU (DE), et al. "IP FUNMIG: the FP6 far-field project" 299 Mr Gunnar Buckau, FZK-INE (DE), et al. "Radionuclide migration in clay-rich host formations: process understanding, integration and upscaling for safety-case use (FUNMIG RTDC 3 + 1 & 2)" 309 Mr Scott Altmann, ANDRA (FR), et al. "Laboratory and in situ investigations on radionuclide migration in crystalline host rock" 327 Ms Tiziana Missana, CIEMAT (ES), et al. "Investigation of far-field processes in sedimentary formations at a natural analogue site - Ruprechtov" 343 Mr Ulrich Noseck, GRS (DE), et al. "Radionuclide migration in the far-field: The use of research results in safety cases" 353 Mr Bernhard Schwyn, NAGRA (CH), et al. Panel discussion on far-field processes 361 Session VIII Performance assessment studies - coordination of RD&D for waste disposal "Performance assessment methodologies in application to guide the development of the safety case" 369 Mr Jörg Mönig, GRS (DE) "The treatment of uncertainty in PA and the safety case" 377 Mr Daniel Galson (Galson Sciences Co.) "Sensitivity analysis techniques for the performance assessment of a radioactive waste repository" 387 Mr Ricardo Bolado-Lavín, EC, JRC-IE Petten (NL), et al. "Proposed European technology platform for the co-ordination of RD&D for geological disposal" 399 Mr Alan Hooper, NDA-RWMD (UK), et al. Panel discussion on Coordination of RD&D for waste disposal in Europe 409 Posters based on projects performed as part of Euratom FP6, ISTC and supported by the ECDG Energy and Transport (TREN) Topic: Partitioning and transmutation Development of the methods for immobilisation of long-lived nuclear waste in carbon matrices for storage and transmutation M. Abdulakhatov, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute (RU), et al. 415 Topic: Near-field processes TIMODAZ - Thermal Impact on the Damaged Zone around a Radioactive Waste Disposal in Clay Host Rocks Xiangling Li, EURIDICE (BE) 423 TIMODAZ - Lining stability under thermal load Jaroslav Pacovsky, CTU Prague (CZ), et al. 429 TIMODAZ - Characterisation of Rock Mass Crack Damage Using Ultrasonic Surveys Juan M. Reyes-Montes, ASC (UK), et al. 435 TIMODAZ - Modelling the Excavated Damage Zone around an underground gallery - Coupling mechanical, thermal and hydraulical aspects Robert Charlier, Univ. Liège (BE), et al. 441 TIMODAZ - Large-scale heater experiments in boom clay Jan Verstricht, EIG EURIDICE (BE), et al. NF-PRO - Concrete degradation and its influence on the geochemical conditions at the concrete/bentonite interface under repository conditions A. Escribano, CIEMAT (ES) et al. 453 NF-PRO - Influence of THM-GCh behaviour of the bentonite barrier on the corrosion processes of the carbon steel canister E Torres, CIEMAT (ES) et al. 459 NF-PRO - Experimental and modelling studies of the THM behaviour of the clay barrier María Victoria Villar, CIEMAT (ES) et al. 465 NF-PRO - Mechanical and permeability properties of highly precompacted granular salt bricks Klaus Salzer, IfG Germany (DE), et al. 471 NF-PRO - Impact of Bedding Planes to EDZ Evolution and the Coupled HM Properties of Opalinus Clay Till Popp, IfG Germany (DE), et al. 477 NF-PRO - Studies on long-term stability of spent fuel Vincenzo V Rondinella, EC JRC, Karlsruhe (DE), et al. 483 THERESA - Evaluation and improvement of numerical THM modelling capabilities for rock salt repositories K. Wieczorek, GRS mbH (DE), et al. 489 Topic: Far-field processes FUNMIG - Research on well-defined processes Pascal Reiller, CEA Saclay (FR) 497 FUNMIG - Real system analyses of PA relevant processes in sediments: The Ruprechtov natural analogue site Vaclava Havlova, NRI Rež (CZ), et al.

503 Topic: Training fellowships SMARAGD: The Study of Mineral Alterations of Clay Barriers Used for Radwaste Storage and its Geological Disposal Miroslav Honty, SCK-CEN (BE), et al. Topic: Support actions SAPIERR-II - Shared, regional repositories, developing a practical implementation strategy Ewoud Verhoef, COVRA (NL) et al. 519 Topic: EC-DG TREN Improving financing schemes for nuclear decommissioning and radioactive waste management in European member states and on EU level Wolfgang Irrek, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie (DE) 527 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 533