Information update concerning the programme on geological disposal in Belgium. RWMC FY2006 Consultation 2 Task 1

The present report has been drafted on request of the Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center – RWMC – Japan and contains an information update of the Belgian R&D programme concerning the geological disposal of high-level and long-lived radioactive waste and spent fuel. On request of RWMC, the FY2006 Consultation 2 Task 1 report provides updated summary information on the following topics: • An updated waste transport schedule from Cogema. This is an update of section 2.3.2 in the previous report [1]; • An information update on safety criteria in relation to geological disposal. This is an addition to section 2 of the previous report [see Sneyers A. and Volckaert, G., 2005]; • Long-term geological stability, reversibility/retrievability, monitoring and record keeping. This is an addition to section 2 of the previous report [see Sneyers A. and Volckaert, G., 2005]; • An overview of press releases and recent reports concerning the Belgian programme on radioactive waste management. In addition to the information updates on the topics listed above, a separate report was on ongoing activities in the HADES Underground Research Facility was drafted as part of RWMC FY2006 Consultation 2 Task 1.