Achieving Safeguards Objectives For The Encapsulation Plant And Geological Repository In Finland

In order to maintain effective and efficient safeguards, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to evolve its safeguards system by taking advantage of new techniques and technologies, and the development or adaptation of new and existing safeguards concepts and approaches.By 2025, the spent fuel encapsulation plant and geological repository (EPGR) in Finland will finalise construction and become one of the first operational facilities of its type in the world under a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA. In response to the need to establish an effective safeguards approach for the future EPGR, the European Commission (EC), the IAEA and the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) are jointly working on identifying safeguards measures and techniques that will be implemented to efficiently meet the safeguards technical objectives relevant to these facilities.The identification of possible safeguards measures is carried out within the framework of the Safeguards-by-Design (SbD) concept that enables each of the international safeguards inspectorates (EC and IAEA), as well as the national authority (STUK), to effectively fulfil its mandate and draw independent conclusions, while at the same time minimising the impact on the geological disposal process for spent nuclear fuel.This paper will use the EPGR Project in Finland as a case-study to demonstrate how a need to achieve safeguards objectives drives implementation and development of both traditional and innovative safeguards measures and techniques, with SbD support for effective and efficient use of available resources.