An important part of the work described here was a study of existing international experience in investigating deep geological repository sites. The objective of this study was to derive a basis for planning the content and extent of investigations which might be carried out in Germany in the future. Such investigations would be required in the course of a site selection process for a repository for HLW (high level radioactive waste). For this purpose information on suitable sites was gathered, mainly from literature sources. Suitable in this context meant two things. Firstly, the investigated site should be in rock similar to four being considered in Germany (salt, clay, crystalline and other hard rock under a clay cover). Secondly, the investigations carried out could reasonably be considered as being intended to lead to the use of the site as a repository. The investigation processes were presented, analysed and compared. The comparison was based on the quality and the intensity of the methods employed to obtain the information necessary for deciding between candidate repository sites in terms of safety and the feasibility of construction. In the final stage of the work the analysis and presentation method developed for the international sites was applied to the investigations already carried out at three German sites (Gorleben — a prospective HLW repository, Morsleben — an existing but now not operational repository for radioactive waste and Konrad — a repository currently under construction). The reported investigatory work was compared with the ideal investigations developed on the basis of the existing international experience.

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