International repositories for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel

The disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel needs to be demonstrated in real projects in a few countries before the nuclear community will be able to claim publicly that solutions exit. Once this near-term objective has been reached, time will be ripe to consider the establishment of regional and international repositories. This paper focus on two aspects of international deep geologic repositories: ? The enhancement of the world non-proliferation regime through the minimisation of the potential diversion of unused fissionable nuclear materials, and in the longer term un-reprocessed nuclear fuel; ? The disposal of long-lived radioactive wastes in a manner that will ensure the safety of all future generations, without placing on them any burden of active maintenance measures. In both areas, non-proliferation and safety, international repositories2,3,4 would offer major benefits. There are also further obvious potential advantages, such as improved economics and enhanced public acceptability. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should play a central role.