Tuesday, November 3, 2026

10:55 AM - 12:55 PM

Room 5

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Details

The Global Energy Transition (GET) Conference focuses on Geoscience and Engineering for the Energy Transition, is about sustainable and renewable energy sources, and the energy supply for the near and distant future. This raises the question: why should we address the legacy of a form of power generation that embodied the aspirations of the 1950s? Today, our visions for energy are centred around solar, wind, hydrogen and geothermal heat—these are, accordingly, the main topics of the GET Conference. However, why talking about uranium and its fission products and the disposal of radioactive waste? The conference also addresses Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and critical raw materials. CCS represents a technical solution for managing the legacy of the “fossil age” and is essential for facilitating the transition from a fossil-based past tto a future powered by renewable energies. In a similar manner, the safe management of nuclear waste is crucial for the energy transition—regardless if nuclear energy is considered part of the future energy mix, a bridging technology, or a discontinued model. Furthermore, repositories for radioactive waste may be regarded by future generations as deposits of critical and valuable raw materials. Consequently, human intrusion is one of the scenarios that must be considered when developing robust safety analyses for the long-term future of these repositories. Two other connections from radioactive waste and nuclear energy can be drawn to GET topics. (1) the idea circulates to use the heat from high level nuclear waste in interim storages and disposal sites as energy source and (2) several countries investigate the possibility to use process heat of nuclear power plants for hydrogen production. These two topics may also play a role in the RadWaste panel. These are just two of the topics that the recently established EAGE Technical Community on Radioactive Waste Disposal will address. They also constitute the rationale for our presence at GET. Our aim is not only to introduce this new Technical Community to the GET audience, but also to demonstrate that radioactive waste management is an integral part of the global energy transition. It offers opportunities for stakeholders and actors who have previously been engaged in other areas of the energy transition or in the oil and gas sector. Radioactive waste disposal is a diverse and evolving field in Europe and worldwide. While Finland is on the verge of commencing disposal operations for high active waste (HAW) within the next one or two years, other countries such as Sweden, France, and Switzerland have selected their respective HAW disposal sites and are currently in the licensing process. Still others, such as Czechia and Germany, are advancing their site selection processes. A variety of host rocks and disposal systems are being discussed and tested. This high degree of diversification in terms of development stages and repository concepts presents opportunities for modelers, mining companies, geophysical enterprises and many other types of businesses. Implementers and regulators require their support to succeed. The EAGE Technical Community on Radioactive Waste Disposal will facilitate these connections. We will offer courses on the role of geosciences and engineering in radioactive waste disposal and will promote a range of activities to foster a vibrant community that will contribute responsibly to the global energy transition.

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Speaker

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Moderator