The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

Stage 1 : communities invited to express an interest in participating in the process of finding a site for a GDF

Three councils in Cumbria have made an expression of interest and have formed the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership.

• We have advised Government on ways of encouraging more communities to express an interest.

Stage 2 : British Geological Survey (BGS) “screens out” rock volumes that would be unsuitable for a GDF within the area expressing an interest

The BGS report has now been completed and is available on the West Cumbria MRW S Partnership website.

• We have held meetings with the BGS on the screening out process and format of their report.
• We have advised Government on peer review of the BGS work
• We have responded to requests for advice from the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership.

Stage 3 : the “Decision to Participate” - community decides whether to participate in the siting process

Although this stage is likely to be some years away, it is important that all relevant issue are resolved in the meantime. Our 2009 report on geological disposal (doc 2550) advised the Government that it should start work on the principles to be used in deriving and agreeing the package of community benefits for any area volunteering to host a GDF.

• We attend the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership meetings as observers and scrutinise the support given by Government.
• We would do similar work for any other area that expresses an interest.

Stage 4: desk-based studies of the geology in the area 

Stage 5: surface-based investigations (e.g. boreholes)

• We are scrutinising preparations by the Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD) of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for these stages.

Stage 6: underground investigations and construction of a GDF

Our 2009 report on research and development (doc 2543) (R&D) recommended that an underground research facility be established at any site that reaches Stage 6.

• We are scrutinising all the work of NDA’s RWMD on geological disposal. This includes planning for the implementation of geological disposal, its development of a generic “disposal system safety case”, its work on assessing and investigating sites, its GDF design studies and its R&D.
• We monitor the work of the regulators on geological disposal.
• Our findings so far are in our 2009 geological disposal report and R&D report.

West Cumbrian MRWS Partnership Seminar on Geology June 2011.

At the invitation of the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership, Professor Simon Harley, spoke on behalf of CoRWM at the seminar on geology held on 20 June 2011 in Whitehaven. This is a summary of his talk.