Knowledge preservation for nuclear waste repositories

In deep geological repositories nuclear waste has to be isolated for one million years - an unimaginable long period. The nuclear waste Directive 2011/70/EURATOM defines that EU countries have to include concepts in their waste management programmes how to ensure safety of their repositories also after end of operation. But until now, neither a convincing concept exists to prevent radioactive substances from leaking out of a repository, nor a concept to preserve the knowledge that there even exists such a repository hidden in a geological barrier and how to inform future generations to handle a possible leakage.
In this project, existing ideas for knowledge preservation are researched and assessed. At a workshop on 10 April 2018 in Prague interested NGOs were informed and argumentations for participation procedures for future deep geological repositories were developed.
The science magazine of Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF "Newton" of 12 May 2018 reported on the study (German only).
The study was presented at the "Wiener Atomgipfel" (Viennese Nuclear Talk) at 04 June, 2018. (in German)