Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory Project, Annual report for fiscal year 2009

Kunimaru, Takanori; Mikake, Shinichiro ; Nishio, Kazuhisa; Tsuruta, Tadahiko  ; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Hayano, Akira  ; Takeuchi, Ryuji  ; Saegusa, Hiromitsu; Oyama, Takuya ; Mizuno, Takashi   ; Tanno, Takeo; Hirano, Toru*; Takeuchi, Shinji; Ogata, Nobuhisa ; Hama, Katsuhiro ; Ikeda, Koki; Yamamoto, Masaru; Iyatomi, Yosuke ; Shimada, Akiomi; Matsui, Hiroya ; Ito, Hiroaki ; Sugihara, Kozo

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) at Tono Geoscience Center (TGC) is pursuing a geoscientific research and development project namely the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project in crystalline rock environment in order to construct scientific and technological basis for geological disposal of High-level Radioactive Waste (HLW). Geoscientific research and the MIU Project are planned in three overlapping phases; Surface-based Investigation Phase (Phase 1), Construction Phase (Phase 2) and Operation Phase (Phase 3). Currently, the project is under the Construction Phase. This document introduces the results of the research and development in fiscal year 2009, as a part of the Construction Phase based on the MIU Master Plan updated in 2002, (1) Investigation at the MIU Construction Site and the Shobasama Site, (2) Construction at the MIU Construction Site, (3) Research Collaboration, etc. The goals of the Phase 2 are to develop and revise the models of the geological environment using the investigation results obtained during excavation and determine and assess changes in the geological environment in response to excavation, to evaluate the effectiveness of engineering techniques used for construction, maintenance and management of underground facilities, to establish detailed investigation plans of Phase 3.