The Finnish Research Programme on Nuclear Waste Management (KYT) 2002-2005: Final Report

The producers of nuclear energy are responsible for the safe handling, management, and disposal of their wastes, as well as for the costs arising, according to the Finnish nuclear energy legislation. National authorities supervise the nuclear waste management and issue regulations for this purpose. The research needs of the authorities have traditionally been supported by public research programmes. The four-year KYT programme (2002-2005) followed the earlier public nuclear waste research programmes that started as long ago as in 1989. The main research area in KYT was in studies promoting the assessment of the long-term safety of the geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel. This wide area was divided into five sub-areas: (1) the methodology of safety assessment; (2) the release of radionuclides from the repository; (3) bedrock and groundwater; (4) radionuclide transport in bedrock, and (5) biosphere studies. The second research area covered strategic alternatives in spent nuclear fuel management. Studies in this area were focused on advanced fuel cycles, including e.g. partitioning and transmutation (P&T). In addition, there were limited studies on reactor wastes resulting from the operation of nuclear power plants. KYT promoted Finnish know-how in nuclear waste management for the use of national authorities. It acted as a national forum for discussion and co-operation between the authorities, the nuclear industry, and the research community. Furthermore, it trained new experts in the field, as the most experienced nuclear waste specialists are approaching their retirement. The next major milestone in the Finnish nuclear waste management programme is the construction licence application for the disposal facility for spent fuel, due around 2012. The licensing process increases the need for high-quality research on the technical safety of the facility. The successor to the KYT programme, called KYT2010, will be carried out from 2006 to 2010.