Horonobe Underground Research Center

Overview

The Horonobe International Project (HIP)

The Horonobe International Project (HIP) is an international project, as part of the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project, with the main theme of 'Challenges for Developing Advanced Technologies and Human Resources Towards Long-Term Implementation of Geological Disposal'. The HIP was set up in February 2023 as an NEA* joint project with the participation of currently 11 organisations from Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Korea, Romania, Taiwan and United Kingdom as well as Japan.

The Horonobe International Project

The main objectives of the HIP are to:

  • Develop and demonstrate advanced technologies to be used in repository design, operation and closure, and a realistic safety assessment in deep geological disposal; and
  • Encourage and train the next generation of engineers and researchers by sharing and transferring a vast amount of knowledge and experience developed to date in relevant organisations worldwide.

In the HIP, our priority should be given to promoting multilateral collaboration on the following three tasks as these are of great interest to many organisations worldwide as recognised during the International Roundtable discussions on the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel in 2019 and 2020**:

  • Task A : Solute transport experiment with model testing;
  • Task B : Systematic integration of repository technology options; and
  • Task C : Full-scale EBS dismantling experiment.

*NEA: OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (https://www.oecd-nea.org/)
**A summary report is available on the NEA website:
https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_39718/international-roundtable-on-the-final-disposal-of-high-level-radioactive-waste-and-spent-fuel-summary-report

Locations of ongoing in situ experiments for Tasks A / B / C
Locations of ongoing in situ experiments for Tasks A / B / C

Background

In the International Roundtable discussions, it was very much agreed that enhancing international cooperation would be of great importance to maintain and strengthen technological capabilities for the final disposal. Looking towards the long-term effective implementation of a geological disposal project from an international perspective, the technical understanding for the project should be further strengthened by, for example, transforming research and development (R&D) results into practical and reliable technologies and managing temporal uncertainties associated with long-term predictive modelling. To this end, international cooperation utilising URLs made internationally available should be facilitated as sharing financial and human resources as well as transferring R&D knowledge and experience to the next generation of engineers and researchers would be of much value and benefit.

News

24 September 2024
The fourth Management Board meeting was held online.
11-13 September 2024
The Planning Lecture dedicated to the HIP, including four key presentations, was organised and the Task B updates presentation was given at the 2024 Fall Meeting of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, Sendai, Japan.
21-23 August 2024
An on-site Task A meeting was held between the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI, Japan), the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO, Japan) and JAEA at the Horonobe URL.
5-7 June 2024
A joint task meeting was hosted in a hybrid in-person / virtual format in Horonobe over three days*. The third Management Board meeting was also held in a hybrid manner on 6 June 2024*.
*The meeting information is available on the NEA website: https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_93721/the-horonobe-international-project-ga
27-31 May 2024
Presentations on the HIP overview (oral) and the Task B updates (poster) were given at the Seventh International Conference on Geological Repositories (ICGR-7), Busan, Korea*.
*The conference information is available on the NEA website: https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_81426/seventh-international-conference-on-geological-repositories-icgr-7-empowering-progress-in-developing-deep-geological-repositories
27 May 2024
A Task B meeting was held between the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI, Korea) and JAEA at KAERI.
22-23 May 2024
An on-site Task A meeting was held between the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO, Japan) and JAEA at the Horonobe URL.
14-16 May 2024
An on-site Task C meeting was held between the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO, Japan) and JAEA at the Horonobe URL.
13-17 & 21 May 2024
A series of Task A in situ work commenced at the 250 m Niche off the West Shaft No.1 with the drilling of boreholes for the planned tracer tests. Hydraulic pressure monitoring was then started in the drilled boreholes. Borehole TV (BTV) survey and calliper logging were also carried out.
News Archive