H17: Development and management of the technical knowledge base for the geological disposal of HLW

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The H17 project represents a status overview at a transition point between the generic phase of the Japanese HLW programme, which ended with the H12 project, and the truly site-specific phase which will commence when volunteers come forward allowing NUMO's staged implementation approach to be initiated. As such, the three technical reports document progress made during this period following the format of past progress reports. However, the present report puts this work in context by outlining a new approach which will applied to plan, structure and prioritise future R&D. Fundamentally, there will be a paradigm shift in the supporting R&D programme associated with completion of the movement to an active HLW implementation process at specific volunteer sites. Active site characterisation programmes will be complemented by development of repository concepts tailored to these sites within a structured, stepwise process. This will be associated also with the structural integration of JNC with JAERI to form Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) - an organisation which will be charged with the management of the fundamental knowledge base to support all stakeholders with interests in the HLW programme (implementer, regulator, academic and professional bodies, politicians and the general public). To facilitate such changes, a concept associated with a move to a formal KMS has been developed and is documented in this report. The KMS can be structured to interface with a user's RMS. In the absence of such an RMS, the important example of structuring to support development (or review) of a safety case has been illustrated. By mapping the knowledge produced by the H12 / H17 projects against the requirements for the next expected safety case in Japan (to support PIA selection), the extent to which all needs are covered can be analysed.