Architecture and management of a geological repository - Andra

8 – Surface installationsRepository construction, operating and closing operations require support installations at the surface.This chapter presents their main characteristics.It specifies firstly the general organisation principles for the surface installations grouped on a singlesite.It then describes the design of the "nuclear zone", consisting basically of a building for receiving theprimary packages and preparing the disposal packages. The hypothesis that these operations will beperformed at the repository site underlies this design. Analogies between the planned installations andother existing nuclear installations are highlighted. These installations pose no new technical problemin terms of feasibility. Their design is based in particular on proven arrangements in similarinstallations in terms of safety and environmental protection.This chapter also describes the industrial and administrative zone for non-nuclear activities in theinstallations.Lastly, special attention is given to the storage zone for the broken rock produced by undergroundexcavation, known by the mining term "dump". Its environmental impact is analysed briefly. It isassumed here that all rock extracted is stored on the site, temporarily for those volumes that will be reusedsubsequently as backfill material.Possible surface installation diagrams are given for information only. No option has been fixed andeverything is at a very preliminary stage. Note, in particular, that these diagrams cannot take intoaccount constraints relating to the installation location, such as topography or the vicinity. Theynevertheless give an overall assessment of the surface installation dimensions, particularly theirfootprint, and an overall estimation of the sensitivity to the study scenarios described in Chapter 3.8.1 General organisation of surface installationsThe surface installations are divided into four main zones:- the nuclear zone, with a surface area of around 25 ha, where the primary waste packages arereceived and the disposal packages are prepared,- the industrial zone, with a surface area of around 35 ha, grouping the workshops and facilitiesrequired in support of the work underground,- the administrative zone, with a surface area of around 20 h, consisting of offices, car parks andpersonnel buildings,- the broken rock storage dump, with a surface area of between 120 and 300 ha depending on thescenarios.Note that the surface area allocated to the industrial and administrative zones (55 ha) is around thesame size as the area occupied by the surface installations for a major underground works site, such asthe Channel Tunnel.DOSSIER 2005 ARGILE -ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL SYSTEM322/495