Selecting a Repository Site

This chapter discusses the two prerequisites for choosing a location for a deep-mined, geologic repository: technical suitability and social acceptability. It notes that sites can either be selected in a serial or in a parallel process, although the latter is generally the case. Technical suitability was the initial focus in most nations, but, over time, social acceptability arose as the most problematic issue. The chapter argues that the two requirements are not necessarily independent of each other but can be reciprocally interdependent. Trust in the implementor, perceived risk, and attitudes toward nuclear power account for most of the variance in attitudes toward siting a repository.