The important question is: can radioactive waste be stored “safely” in argillaceous rock? “Safely” means that there is no danger to any living creature or the environment in any place at any time.

The question: “what is safe?” cannot be clarified just by a rock laboratory set up in Opalinus Clay. Additional information is required, such as safety analyses, detailed field investigations into potential sites for a deep geological disposal facility, and information from natural analogues. The Mont Terri rock laboratory contributes significantly to the future creation of a safe and technologically feasible deep geological disposal facility.

Mont Terri rock laboratory is mainly concerned with research. Specifically, the research addresses the following three themes:

• Research and development (for example: developing and applying measuring methods)
• Characterisation of the Opalinus Clay (for example: quantifying and characterising the hydrogeological, mechanical, and geochemical properties of the rock)
• Optimisation of engineered barrier systems (for example: the interaction between canisters, experimentally demonstrating the backfilling of bentonite, and long-term behaviour of Opalinus Clay)