PESGB Evening Lecture – June (Online)

Speaker: Kirsty Simpson, Geological Technical Integrator – Nuclear Waste Services

Topic: The Geological Disposal Facility, what is it and what opportunities does it present for the geoscience community?

Abstract
Nuclear power generation has been part of the United Kingdom’s energy mix for over 60 years, accumulating a legacy of radioactive waste. This waste presents an environmental issue which must be dealt with.  NWS is engaged in delivering a permanent solution to the higher activity waste inventory of England and Wales, a GDF, the delivery of which is one of the largest environmental projects in Britain. The GDF project and management of nuclear waste has direct bearings on the energy transition and balance debates.

The key requirement to delivery of a GDF is safety, both operational and post closure. Post closure safety requires the containment of the radionuclides so they cannot harm people or the environment. Some of our higher activity waste will be radioactive for many thousands of years and this is what deep isolation in a suitable geology, away from surface processes and inadvertent human activity, in a GDF offers. The host rock will provide the final barrier in an engineered multi-barrier system specifically designed for the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical conditions of the site.

There are many different geological settings in which a GDF could be situated, the groundwater flow regime and travel times to surface being key factors, NWS is currently working with four communities all of which have potential host rocks within clastic sedimentary basins. The National Geological Screening produced by RWM (now NWS) with the BGS gives communities an initial understanding of how their local geology could contribute to long-term safety.

The GDF project is one of the most challenging major infrastructure projects undertaken in Britain, it is a unique blend of science, technology, science communication, engineering and design. In this talk in addition to discussing the GDF project I will present some of the interesting challenges and exciting possibilities the programme offers for career progression and professional development to the geoscience community.

Kirsty Simpson CGeol FGS
Geological Technical Integrator – Nuclear Waste Services

Kirsty spent most of her career in the oil and gas industry, working primarily in exploration for BG Group and briefly Shell, various consultancy positions and as a Senior Expert at OMV in Vienna. She has experience working in many basins and geological settings globally, focussing on rock characterisation and  basin analysis. With a background in biostratigraphy she is passionate that understanding basin evolution and a proper chronostratigraphic framework are core to any successful geological model. She also has a keen interest in the understanding and expression of geological risk and uncertainty something which will be key to the site characterisation programme for a GDF. She joined NWS in November 2020 as Geological Technical Integrator in the Geosphere characterisation Team and leads on the development of the Site Descriptive Models.