Safeguards for Direct Disposal of Spent Fuel

Final disposal of spent fuel will accumulate extremely large inventories in a disposal site creating a long-term proliferation risk. Safeguards for spent fuel disposal in geological repositories, therefore, have to be continued even after the repository has been back-filled and sealed. The effective application of safeguards must assure an unbroken continuity of knowledge that the nuclear material in the repository has not been diverted for an unknown purpose. For effective and efficient application of safeguards, the Agency requires vital information on facility design and operation. Part of the required information will also flow from the other obligations, e.g. safety, waste disposal, environmental protection, etc.. An integrated approach to document all required information will be an advantage to all concerned. Safeguards confirmation that the material has not been diverted, established by confirmation of integrity of containment, can also ensure that safety criteria has not been breached. The basic safeguards approach for a geological repository will consist of continuous Design Information Verification (DIV) and application of Integrated Safeguards Verification System (ISVS) for flow and inventory verification. It is needless to mention that all safeguards measures are to be comparable with safety and waste management requirements. Accordingly the IAEA has adopted a policy paper and development programme for technical implementation of effective ande efficient safeguards.