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Geological disposal
A Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will be a pioneering piece of UK infrastructure that is inspired by nature and informed by science. It is a significant environmental project with community consent at the heart of the process.This is a place for a excerpt.
What is a GDF?
Geological disposal, deep underground, is possible thanks to world-class engineering, science and technology. Deep disposal and multiple barriers keep people and the environment safe. This involves:
- isolating the radioactive waste in sealed vaults and tunnels between 200 metres and 1,000 metres below the surface
- containing the radioactivity while it decays naturally over time
- preventing radioactivity from ever reaching the surface in levels that could cause harm.
The chosen approach
Experts and scientists from around the world agree the safest long-term solution for radioactive waste is geological disposal. Many countries are pressing ahead with plans to develop a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). They include France, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Japan and Canada.
Finnish nuclear waste management company Posiva Oy is the first in the world to be ready to start final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, setting an example for the whole world. This will be carried out at Onkalo, on Olkiluoto Island, by 2025.
In Sweden, there has been overwhelming community support for a GDF as a way of disposing of spent nuclear fuel. In 2020, more than eight in 10 people – 82 per cent of community respondents – told an annual poll in Östhammar Municipality that they were in favour of plans to build a repository.
How we work together
The process of finding a site for a GDF is consent-based; communities will be able to work in partnership with us, so that people will have the opportunity to create a future that works for them.
GDF videos
Additionally, this playlist features videos that show how we work closely with communities to ensure that a GDF benefits a community in which it is developed.
Watch our series of short GDF videos. Here we illustrate why we need a GDF, the science behind its design and how it disposes of higher activity radioactive waste.
GDF information
Please explore the documents below for further information on geological disposal.
To add… (speak to Carla)