ITA and IAEA to advance geological disposal facilities for radioactive waste

The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) has announced a new collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to support the development of Geological Disposal Facilities (GDFs) for higher-activity radioactive waste across ITA Member States.

The meeting took place at the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna on 26 September, where the IAEA delegation, led by Olena Mykolaichuk, director of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology, met with Daniel Garbutt, Arnold Dix, Helen Roth and Andrea Pigorini of the ITA to explore future cooperation.

The collaboration builds on recent IAEA work — developed with substantial support from the ITA — that produced a forthcoming publication on managing the transition from surface investigations to underground access for GDFs. Led by Gerald Nieder-Westermann, IAEA officer in the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology, the publication highlights the need for waste management organisations to integrate safety considerations with the realities of underground construction.

To advance this cooperation, the ITA has launched a special interest group, established in close partnership with the IAEA, to help industry understand the specific requirements of GDF development. Both organisations will provide Member States with the technical knowledge needed to deliver and maintain the underground infrastructure essential for the safe disposal of radioactive waste.

Andrea Pigorini, president of ITA, said: “For ITA, this initiative represents a significant opportunity to contribute our global expertise in underground engineering to one of the most critical and enduring tasks of our time. We are committed to contributing our underground expertise to help shape solutions that will protect people and the planet for generations to come.”

Geological Disposal Facilities are vast underground concrete and rock-engineered structures, relying on advanced tunnelling, lining, and long-term durability technologies developed by the civil and concrete sectors. The ITA–IAEA partnership directly links the global tunnelling community with radioactive-waste containment — an area dependent on low-permeability concrete, sprayed linings, and groundwater control.

The initiative also opens new opportunities for international collaboration between research institutions and industry specialists, including UK firms with underground, shotcrete, or precast expertise such as Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), Balfour Beatty VINCI, and BGE.

The ITA confirmed that Arnold Dix, past president of ITA, will chair the new special interest group, bringing leadership and experience to the global effort.

According to the ITA statement: “The ITA remains committed to advancing safe and resilient underground solutions and looks forward to working together with the IAEA in supporting the international community for the successful development of Geological Disposal Facilities worldwide.”