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Research and development for geological disposal of higher activity wastes: the role and expectations of the Environment Agency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

C. R. Cailes ,
I. Barraclough ,
R. E. Smith  and
G. Thomson
C. R. Cailes*
Affiliation:
Environment Agency, Richard Fairclough House, Warrington WA4 1HT, UK
I. Barraclough
Affiliation:
Environment Agency, Richard Fairclough House, Warrington WA4 1HT, UK
R. E. Smith
Affiliation:
Environment Agency, Richard Fairclough House, Warrington WA4 1HT, UK
G. Thomson
Affiliation:
Environment Agency, Richard Fairclough House, Warrington WA4 1HT, UK
*
*E-mail: claire.cailes@environment-agency.gov.uk
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Abstract

The Environment Agency is the environmental regulator for the nuclear industry in England and Wales. We aim to ensure that any future Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) will meet our standards for protecting people and the environment during development, operation and following closure. We shall only grant an environmental permit for such a facility if the GDF developer submits an Environmental Safety Case (ESC) to the Environment Agency demonstrating that the proposed GDF will meet our standards. The ESC should be based on sound science and supported by appropriate research and development. The Environment Agency undertakes its own research programme to inform its regulatory decisions.

Keywords

geological disposalEnvironmental Safety Casejoint regulationstaged regulation
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 75 , Issue 4 , August 2011 , pp. 2431 - 2437
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2011

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