South Korea has finalized 12 screening criteria that will be used to exclude unsuitable areas from the search for a high-level radioactive waste disposal facility. The decision begins the practical process of narrowing possible locations, but it does not select a final site.
The High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Committee approved the criteria on October 30 as a follow-up to the site suitability survey plan prepared in April. Six criteria prevent an area from applying, while six are conditional exclusions that may allow an application if the identified constraints are resolved.
Geological and seismic exclusions define the first screen
Areas within eight kilometers of an active fault will be excluded, as will areas within eight kilometers of the epicenter of an earthquake exceeding magnitude 5.5. Volcanically active areas are also outside the eligible pool. The screening further removes locations with unstable rock types, including limestone, or deposits of natural underground resources.
The criteria are intended to filter out locations with geological, seismic or resource conditions considered unsuitable before local governments or other eligible entities enter the public application process. They establish an initial safety screen rather than a judgment that any remaining location is suitable for construction.
The Korea Radioactive Waste Agency plans to apply the criteria and identify possible candidate areas by the end of the year. A site application process is then scheduled for the first half of next year. Attention will now turn to which areas remain after screening and how the agency conducts the subsequent call for applications.