Various facilities at the surface and underground will be needed for the operation of a deep geological repository. Additional access infrastructure will also be required besides the surface facility and the main access for transport of the radioactive waste from the surface to the disposal level. These auxiliary accesses and their facilities at the surface are described generically (i.e. independent of site) in a new Nagra report. These facilities are generally termed auxiliary access facilities. They are called shaft head facilities in the case of shafts and portals in the case of tunnels (ramps).

The report explains how the facilities are linked into the overall repository system. The accesses from the surface to the underground disposal level are based on the facility concepts prepared for Stage 2 of the Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories, which is led by the Federal Government. The descriptions and illustrations in the report reflect the current status of planning, but are not final specifications that would pre-empt future developments within the context of the Sectoral Plan and licensing procedures.

Potential sites for the auxiliary access facilities will be decided together with the affected regions and Cantons in Stage 3 of the Sectoral Plan process. The aim of the report is to set the background for the discussions with the siting regions and Cantons on the layout of these facilities.

More information

Nagra Technical Report „Generische Beschreibung von Schachtkopfanlagen (Nebenzugangsanlagen) geologischer Tiefenlager“ (NTB 16-08; generic description of shaft head facilities, in German with English abstract)
Brochure „Schachtkopfanlagen geologischer Tiefenlager: Beschreibung und Funktion“ (shaft head facilities of deep geological repositories, in German)

Visualisations: Types of auxiliary access facilities