RD&D-Programme 2004 - SKB

A4.6.1 Siting factors
Before prioritizing sites for site investigations, SKB presented general siting factors for the
deep repository and a basic structure for their application. These factors are still points of
departure for the future choice of site, but the extensive body of site-specific data that is now
being collected will provide much better prospects for applying the methodology and evaluating
different factors.
The factors are divided into three main categories:
• Bedrock.
• Industrial establishment.
• Societal aspects.
Bedrock
The properties of the bedrock determine the prospects for long-term safety and the technical
prospects for building and operating the underground parts of the deep repository. The safety
requirements and the requirements these in turn lead to on the rock distinguish the deep
repository from other rock facilities. SKB has previously described:
• The requirements and preferences made on the bedrock on the site for the deep repository.
• How these requirements and preferences can be translated into measurable parameters and
criteria that provide guidance, especially during the site investigation phase.
The requirements and preferences presented prior to the site investigation phase were based
on the reference design for the deep repository and the state of knowledge that existed at that
time. Changes in the repository concept or new technical or scientific advances can of course
occasion changes in certain requirements, preferences or criteria. During the years that remain
before a site selection is to be made, extensive development work and new safety assessments
will be carried out. This, together with experience from the investigation work, will in all
likelihood warrant revisions in existing requirements, preferences and criteria.
Industrial establishment
The deep repository project must be able to be implemented as an industrial establishment.
This means that construction and operation must be technically feasible, that resources must
be available, and that all requirements on occupational safety and protection of man and the
environment must be met. In these respects the deep repository does not differ essentially from
any other industrial activity.
The deep repository’s facilities and activities on the surface require land for operating areas and
infrastructure. The facilities must be sited on land that is suitable for the purpose, and the siting
must not conflict with good long-term management of land and water.
The deep repository is a large and long-term industrial establishment which is in many ways
dependent on the community in the locality and the region where the repository is established.
With the feasibility of the deep repository as a point of departure, SKB will evaluate what
resources the community can contribute to the project in the form of labour, public and private
services, etc, and whether these resources meet the requirements to enable the project to be
completed with high quality. When it comes to the other side of this mutual dependency, i.e.
what the project can contribute to the community, SKB’s role is to present the facts, but leave
the evaluations to others.
RD&D-Programme 2004 399