ABSTRACT
The industrial production of nuclear electricity implies the management of the generated radioactive wastes. In Belgium, the R&D programme on this topic was initiated at the Belgian nuclear research centre (SCKCEN) in 1974. A tertiary clay formation, the “Boom Clay”, present under the Mol-Dessel nuclear site between 190 m and 290 m, was selected as a potential host formation for the disposal of HLW (High Level and Long Lived Radioactive Waste). Preliminary laboratory research yielded promising results,
thus it was decided to construct the underground laboratory HADES (High-Activity Disposal Experimental Site) at 223 m depth.
