Safety in nuclear repositories on the agenda in Switzerland
- Arild Søvik
- 12. sep.
- 2 min lesing
In September 2025, the International Tunnelling Association Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities (ITA COSUF)* invited its members to a workshop in Switzerland on the topic "Exploring operational safety challenges in complex underground facilities for the nuclear industry." Here, we learned more about challenges in the industry and an update on the latest developments.
We visited the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory, which is a research laboratory near Saint Ursanne in the canton of Jura. Here, an international group of organizations is studying the Opalinus Clay, which is planned to serve as the host rock for a future deep repository for radioactive waste.
The researchers are investigating geological, chemical, and physical processes that would later occur in a deep geological repository. They are also investigating how radioactive substances can be contained underground for the long term.
Organizations from Europe, Japan, Canada, the United States, and Switzerland are conducting research at Mont Terri. It is one of the world's leading geological laboratories for the study of claystone. The laboratory is used exclusively for research purposes.
On the second day, we were invited to the Swiss ITA COSUF member, the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), where ITA COSUF held its general assembly and activity group meetings.
I want to thank the organizers, ITA COSUF, Nagra, and Swisstopo, for the opportunity to learn more from this industry.
*ITA COSUF creates an ecosystem for learning, which benefits both clients and suppliers in the entire underground industry. We invite all actors and stakeholders (authorities, consultants, academia, research, industry suppliers, contractors, safety officers) to be members. We serve both road-, rail- and metro infrastructure industry, but also all underground structures and tunnel projects in general, including mining, underground industry, caverns and city services developments.