Handover of Bukov Underground Research Facility II for Trial Operation
On 5 May 2025, Bukov Underground Research Facility II (Bukov URF II) was handed over for trial operation. This development marks the successful completion of a further important stage in the construction of a new system of experimental corridors and chambers at the Bukov facility, which is located approximately 500 metres below the earth’s surface in a part of the former Rožná I uranium mine.
The Bukov URF, which is operated by the Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO), and which was constructed in partnership with the DIAMO state enterprise, serves as a unique underground laboratory for research and development in the area of the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste.
Bukov URF II has a total of 13 testing chambers which will serve for the conducting of a wide range of planned experiments. The laboratory corridors have lengths of up to 95 metres. The underground corridors were excavated from January 2021 to April 2024, which was followed by the installation of the necessary equipment. The facility provides more than enough space for the planned experimental programme, the final phase of which will include the conducting of so-called demonstration experiments involving the construction of complex models of the disposal spaces of the future deep geological repository.
Bukov URF II will thus provide a valuable contribution to enhancing the safety of the Czech deep geological repository.
We would like to extend our thanks to those colleagues from DIAMO who were involved in the construction project!
