International Safeguards for Spent Fuel Encapsulation and Geological Repository Facilities

In 1988, Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began activities supporting the IAEA in developing internal policy and safeguards approaches on the application of safeguards for the final disposal of spent fuel in geological repositories. These activities were coordinated through Member State Support Programs, including the multi-member State Program for the Development of Safeguards for Geological Repositories (SAGOR, 1994-2004) and Program for the Application of Safeguards to Geological Repositories(ASTOR, 2005-2017). SAGOR performed a diversion path analysis for spent fuel disposal facilities, determined safeguards technical objectives, and identified potential safeguards measures for meeting those objectives. ASTOR supported the IAEA in assessing how the safeguards measures could be effectively implemented and provided recommendations with respect to the development of the measures. The development of specific verification technologies was conducted under other Member State Support Program tasks. A summary report on the progress and status of safeguards for spent fuel encapsulation plants and geological repositories was completed by the ASTOR participants in 2017. The report covered the status of technologies for design information verification, non-destructive assay of spent fuel assemblies, containment and surveillance and canister identification measures, geophysical monitoring, satellite monitoring, and long-term data management. This paper will review the accomplishments of the SAGOR and ASTOR programs and identify actions that still need to be undertaken.