Deep Time Reckoning – Lessons in Long-Term Thinking from Finland’s Safety Case Experts

摘要

A Safety Case for a deep geological repository for spentnuclear fuel must demonstrate that the repository can protectthe environment from the effects of the disposal of spent nuclearfuel for hundreds of thousands, or even a million yearsinto the future. To do this, experts developing the safety casemust look many millennia into the future (into deep time) aspart of their everyday activities. They must forecast geological,hydrological, and ecological conditions in the area of therepository over the very long term and develop a portfolio oftechnical evidence to support the case detailed in the applicationsubmitted to the authorities that a repository could bebuilt in the selected location and meet the safety standards requiredby the government.