Many countries are interested in deep geological disposal repositories for radioactive waste. In 2008, the IAEA launched the GEOSAF project harmonizing the demonstration of safety of geological disposal facilities during and after their operation.

Licensing a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste requires an integrated safety assessment that covers its operation and the time after it has closed, the so-called post-closure period.

The first part of GEOSAF, from 2008 to 2011, developed and reviewed the safety case for geological disposal of radioactive waste.

The second part of GEOSAF, from 2012 to 2015, focused on developing a unified approach for operational safety for geological disposal and its impact on long-term safety. It addressed the views of regulatory authorities engaged in the licensing process and in the development of the overall safety case, and other actors involved in the process.

The third part of the project, in place from 2017, focuses on the practical applications of the safety approach developed in the previous parts of the project.? Member States with mature safety programmes in this area contribute with their inputs to the third project phase.