NEA/COM(2012)6
Paris, 17 September 2012
BELGIUM HAS “CREDIBLE AND ROBUST” SAFETY STRATEGY
FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE SURFACE DISPOSAL FACILITY
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has just presented to the Belgian authorities the outcome of
an international peer review on “Key aspects of the safety case for a radioactive waste surface disposal
facility in Belgium”. The review examines the credibility and robustness of the long-term safety strategy
and the long-term safety assessment documented in the draft safety case being prepared by the national
radioactive waste management agency, ONDRAF/NIRAS. The draft safety case is being prepared for a
license application for the construction and operation of a surface disposal facility for short-lived, low- and
intermediate-level radioactive waste in the municipality of Dessel.
The review provides the Belgian authorities, the Belgian public and relevant organisations an
international view on the maturity of ONDRAF/NIRAS’s waste disposal programme and its safety
approach vis-à-vis international best practices and recommendations.
Key findings
The international peer review team, consisting of seven international specialists, has concluded the
following:

From an international perspective, ONDRAF/NIRAS’s long-term safety strategy and safety
assessment are, in the main, credible and robust, with sufficient active and passive elements to
support long-term safety. The strategy accounts for defence-in-depth, optimisation of the system
design and passive safety principles. The long-term safety strategy follows international guidelines,
recommendations and best practices.

The proposed design of the disposal system takes into account the long-term safety strategy and is
appropriate for the provisional radionuclide inventory as well as the characteristics of the
geological environment at Dessel. The disposal concept and the technical design of the facility are
adequately described; the safety functions of the various repository components are also clearly
identified to allow long-term safety assessment to be carried out. Demonstration trials have
improved the system design and confirmed the feasibility of construction of various system
components.

The iterative approach for long-term safety assessment used by ONDRAF/NIRAS follows
international practices and is sound. A comprehensive interpretation of the assessment results
was not performed in this review as some of the analyses were only presented near the end of the
review process. The current safety assessment analyses show that ONDRAF/NIRAS has
considered a large number of scenarios and assessment cases that have taken into account the
design of the disposal system, the waste types and the environment. The set of scenarios is, in
principle, adequate. Recommendations for improvements have been provided in the final report.
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NEA/COM(2012)6
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 ONDRAF/NIRAS’s scientific knowledge and technical bases in relation to concrete and other
engineered barriers are state-of-the-art and suitably documented and utilised. Technical limitations
have been identified and are being evaluated in the current and future R&D programme.
Background information
A key NEA activity in the field of radioactive waste management is the organisation of independent,
international peer reviews of national studies and projects.
At the request of the Belgian government, the NEA Secretariat established an international review team
(IRT) to perform the peer review cited above. The IRT consisted of seven international specialists from the
Czech Republic, France, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the NEA Secretariat. The review
team experts had no conflict of interest with ONDRAF/NIRAS and were chosen to bring complementary
expertise to the review, in accordance with the Terms of Reference. The IRT was led by Maria Carmen
Ruiz Lopez of the Spanish nuclear regulatory authority Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. Further information
on the review team members can be found in the report. During the review, the NEA Secretariat also
served as the contact point between the IRT and the Belgian counterparts.
The experts reviewed the documentation provided to the review team and considered the additional
information that ONDRAF/NIRAS supplied both in writing and as part of information exchanges during
two working seminars, including a site visit in Belgium. In keeping with NEA procedures for independent
reviews, neither the Belgian government nor ONDRAF/NIRAS have commented on this report, although
ONDRAF/NIRAS had an opportunity to ensure the factual correctness of the review.
Press contact:
Ms. Cynthia Gannon-Picot
Acting Head, External Relations and Public Affairs
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 24 10 12
E-mail: press@oecd-nea.org
Website: www.oecd-nea.org
Twitter: @OECD_NEA
NEA membership consists of 30 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
The mission of the NEA is to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through
international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally
friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
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