RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

generations unnecessarily. Another reason for the high pace of work is the ambition to exploit
existing knowledge and skills and thereby promote quality in implementation.
A guiding principle for SKB’s planning of the remainder of the programme is to strive for a
reasonable balance between, on the one hand, justified requirements on sufficient time for
proper decision processes and, on the other hand, the continuity and intensity that are required
if the programme is to be implemented with good results. This attitude continues to permeate
the way all the stakeholders work, including those who play a leading role in the licensing
processes.
Spent nuclear fuel programme
The KBS-3 method, which is SKB’s main alternative for final disposal of spent nuclear fuel,
has stood the test of time, having been subjected to repeated regulatory review and comparison
with alternative methods. This applies to both the crucial safety-related aspects and aspects such
as technical feasibility and resource-effectiveness. SKB’s strategy is therefore to optimize and
realize a final repository in accordance with the KBS-3 concept. Implementation will be based
on tried-and-tested technology, but technical advances made during the course of the work
will also be put to use. Progress with regard to alternative concepts and disposal methods will
continue to be monitored and evaluated in relation to SKB’s main alternative.
The nuclear fuel programme must manage all spent fuel generated by nuclear energy production
in Sweden. It must therefore be adjustable to different outcomes as regards the remainder of the
nuclear energy programme. The scenario on which SKB’s planning is based is that the reactors
that are still in operation, i.e. all except Barsebäck 1, will be shut down after 40 years of operation.
This gives a total fuel quantity of about 9,300 tonnes of uranium, which is equivalent to a
deep repository for about 4,500 canisters of the type that will be used according to the current
reference design. The programme permits both larger and smaller fuel quantities to be managed,
the only consequences being that the total operating time of the management system, and the
space requirement in the deep repository, are affected.
LILW programme
Parts of the system for management of low- and intermediate-level waste (LILW) have been in
operation since the 1980s, including final disposal of various types of operational waste at SFR
in Forsmark. This means that a good knowledge base exists for the remaining steps, including
extensions of SFR and, as the last step in the process, a final repository for other long-lived
waste.
Of the waste types which the LILW programme will manage in the future, waste from decommissioning
of the nuclear power plants represents the dominant fraction in terms of volume.
This will require extensions, in accordance with a timetable that can be adjusted to future
decisions that will determine the pace of the phase-out and subsequent decommissioning of
the NPPs.
A2
Programme for spent nuclear fuel
A2.1 Overview
The current situation in the spent nuclear fuel programme can be summarized in the following
points:
• The development of the disposal method that is SKB’s main alternative is in a phase
featuring pilot- and full-scale tests and demonstrations of system components. The Canister
Laboratory and Äspö HRL are the main venues for these activities. In many cases the activities
require access to resources and experimental settings which only SKB’s own laboratories
can offer.
RD&D-Programme 2004 363