4. Underground laboratory programs in Europe

4.1 Underground laboratories in granite formations

In Sweden, the underground laboratory was built on the island of Äspö, north of the Oskarshamn nuclear facility, between 1990 and 1995. It comprises a tunnel descending from the surface to a depth of 460 m, as well as access and ventilation shafts. Total tunnel length is 3,600 m.

Experiments are conducted in a realistic, undisturbed geological environment, to develop knowledge of all the processes involved in the evolution of a repository.

An important area of research at the Äspö Underground Laboratory is the assessment of processes affecting the function of bedrock as a barrier to the containment of radioactive substances. In particular, groundwater movement and chemical composition...