Research in the Mont Terri Rock laboratory: Quo vadis?

Abstract

During the past 10 years, the 12 Mont Terri partner organisations ANDRA, BGR, CRIEPI, ENRESA, FOWG (now SWISSTOPO), GRS, HSK, IRSN, JAEA, NAGRA, OBAYASHI and SCK-CEN have jointly carried out and financed a research programme in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory. An important strategic question for the Mont Terri project is what type of new experiments should be carried out in the future. This question has been discussed among partner delegates, authorities, scientists, principal investigators and experiment delegates. All experiments at Mont Terri – past, ongoing and future – can be assigned to the following three categories: (1) process and mechanism understanding in undisturbed argillaceous formations, (2) experiments related to excavation- and repository-induced perturbations and (3) experiments related to repository performance during the operational and post-closure phases. In each of these three areas, there are still open questions and hence potential experiments to be carried out in the future. A selection of key issues and questions which have not, or have only partly been addressed so far and in which the project partners, but also the safety authorities and other research organisations may be interested, are presented in the following. The Mont Terri Rock Laboratory is positioned as a generic rock laboratory, where research and development is key: mainly developing methods for site characterisation of argillaceous formations, process understanding and demonstration of safety. Due to geological constraints, there will never be a site specific rock laboratory at Mont Terri. The added value for the 12 partners in terms of future experiments is threefold: (1) the Mont Terri project provides an international scientific platform of high reputation for research on radioactive waste disposal (= state-of-the-art research in argillaceous materials); (2) errors are explicitly allowed (= rock laboratory as a “playground” where experience is often gained through experimental failures); (3) the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory is open to visitors, and guided tours make a significant contribution to enhancing public acceptance, particularly with respect to local communities and critical citizens who are open to, and interested in, the technical and societal issues of radioactive waste disposal.