FAQs

18. How big would a facility be? What would it look like?

We understand that the dimensions of the underground areas of a geological disposal facility will be determined by how much waste needs to be disposed of there, the properties of the host rock and the geometry of the features within it.

Early estimates suggest that the underground area of the host rock required could be up to about 10km2 depending on the geology of the chosen site and the inventory of radioactive wastes and materials emplaced in the facility. This is based on all the vaults being on one level. It may be possible to build a facility over a smaller area, by building vaults on different levels.

At this early stage in the process it is not possible to specify exactly what a geological disposal facility will look like. We understand that the detailed layout and design of the basic geological disposal facility features, both above and below ground, will depend on its location, as the actual design will be tailored to the geography (topography and geology) and the specific geological structure at the site in question.

The surface facilities would include transport and other infrastructure; and offices and control rooms.

To get more of an idea what a geological disposal facility would look like visit the Department of Energy and Climate Change's website.

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