The Deep Geologic Repository Technology Program: Developing a Geoscientific Basis for Repository Safety

Abstract

The Deep Geologic Repository Technology Program (DGRTP) has been managed and directed by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) since the late 1990's. A key aspect of the DGRTP has been to coordinate geoscience studies that advance Canadian geoscience expertise and methodologies for the characterization and simulation of regional and sub-regional Shield environs at timeframes relevant to demonstrating the safety of a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for used nuclear fuel. Within this context the DGRTP Geoscience program is intent on integrating multi-disciplinary geoscientific studies to reveal common lines of reasoning that are fundamental to communicate the role and capacity of a crystalline Shield setting to assure long-term waste isolation. This requires development of a basis to convey our understanding of the processes and mechanisms, and site specific geologic attributes that affect or govern flow domain hydrodynamic and geochemical stability at time scales of 100,000 years and beyond. This paper provides an overview of DGRTP Geoscience research activities and, in particular, how they are contributing to a geoscientific basis for understanding and communicating aspects of DGR safety.