Protecting future generations is essential when it comes to nuclear waste, and in this area Hungary’s population is being protected by world-class technology.

Looking for a safe place to store low- and intermediate-level waste from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, the Hungarian Public Agency for Radioactive Waste Management turned to Golder to participate in the geological exploration program and to evaluate the safety of a proposed underground storage site.

One of the main considerations is finding a location where the geological environment, together with the engineered barriers around the waste, provides a high level of protection over a very long period. It is important that this waste, which includes radioactive materials, be isolated from the biosphere.

An extensive geological exploration program has been carried out at the chosen site, near the village of Bátaapáti, in south Hungary. The program has included boreholes, trenches and surface and borehole geophysical and hydrogeological measurements. Through these investigations, the geological suitability was confirmed, and underground work will start on the proposed repository site this year.

To meet the client’s expectations, the Golder office in Budapest has drawn on expertise from other parts of the firm, and has used state-of-the-art equipment and software from Germany and the USA.

Once constructed, the repository will satisfy European Union requirements for the storage of radioactive waste, and will confine these materials and protect the safety of future generations.