INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY 

DEPARTMENT OF SAFEGUARDS

DESIGN INFORMATION 

QUESTIONNAIRE *

IAEA USE ONLY

N-76 (11-2020)

GEOLOGICAL REPOSITORIES

APPROVED BY OMB: NO. 3150-0056 EXPIRES: 11/30/2023

Estimated burden per response to comply with this mandatory collection request: 360 hours. NRC is 

required to collect this information for reporting to IAEA from facility licensees appearing on the U.S. 

Eligible List. Send comments regarding burden estimate to the FOIA, Library, and Information 

Collections Branch (T-6 A10M), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, 

or by e-mail to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and the OMB reviewer at: OMB Office of Information 

and Regulatory Affairs, (3150-0056), Attn: Desk Officer for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 725 

17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503; e-mail: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. The NRC may 

not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless 

the document requesting or requiring the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The purpose of this document is to 

obtain the facility design information 

required by the Agency in order to 

discharge its safeguards responsibilities. 

It will also serve as a checklist for 

examination of design information by 

Agency inspector(s). If, in any area, 

insufficient space is available add further 

shee ts to the extent necessary.

TYPE

IAEA USE ONLY 

COUNTRY 

COUNTRY OFFICER

DATE OF INITIAL DATA

VERIFICATION

LAST REVIEW AND UPDATING

Geological Repositories
N-76 (11-2020)

ALL FACILITIES

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Name of the facility 

(include usual abbreviation)

2. Location and postal 

address

3. Owner 

(Legally responsible)

4. Operator 

(Legally responsible)

5. Description 

(Main features only)

6. Purpose

7. Status 

(e.g., planned; under construction, 

in operation; shut down; closed 

down; decommissioned)

8. Construction schedule dates 

(if not in operation) 

Start of Construction (MM/DD/YYYY) Commissioning (MM/DD/YYYY) Operation (MM/DD/YYYY)

9. Normal operating mode 

(days only, two shift, three shift; 

number of days/annum, etc.)

10. Facility layout 

(structural containment, fences, 

access, nuclear material storage 

areas, laboratories, waste disposal 

areas, routes followed by nuclear 

material, experimental and test areas, 

etc.) 

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

11. Sitting of facility 

(Maps showing in sufficient detail: 

location, premises and perimeter of 

facility, other buildings, roads, railways, 

rivers, etc.) 

DRAWING(S) AND/OR MAPS ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

12. Names and/or titles and address 

of responsible officers 

(for nuclear material accountancy and 

control and contact with the Agency. If 

possible attach organization charts 

showing position of officers) 
OVERALL PROCESS PARAMETERS

13. Facility description 

(indicating important items of 

equipment which use, produce or 

process nuclear material)

GENERAL LAYOUT(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.)

N-76 (11-2020)

i) Information on the host geology of 

the geological repository (including 

geological stratification; geochemistry; 

geophysics; identification of 

radionuclides found in the repository 

environment; and evidence and 

conclusions on the integrity of the host 

rock)

ii) Description of restricted zone and 

other controlled areas established 

around the repository

iii) Geological repository 

characterization activities (e.g., 

subsurface excavations and 

exploratory activities)

iv) Information on the design of the 

geological repository underground 

area, (including layout, isolation doors, 

measures to strengthen or stabilize 

walls and ceilings of excavations; and 

shaft and vent size and features)

v) Information on design of the surface 

areas (including receipt, storage, and 

preparation of canisters for disposal)

vi) Information on accesses to the 

underground area for personnel and 

materials; on provision of utilities and 

on areas for receipt and storage of 

disposal canisters

vii) Hoist and transport vehicle capacity 

(e.g., maximum weight loads)

viii) Information on the presence of 

nearby mines and other nearby 

excavation activities (including 

identification of structures that might 

conceal an entrance to excavations)

ix) Other safeguards-relevant 

information

14. Process description 

(including above ground and 

underground facility operations; 

canister preparation process; canister 

storage; ramp, tunnel, and shaft 

excavation; rock removal and storage; 

canister, materials, and back fill 

transport; backfilling and tunnel 

closure; and nominal schedule of 

excavation, receipts, transfers to 

underground, emplacement and 

backfilling)
N-76 (11-2020)

18. Main material description

NUCLEAR MATERIAL DESCRIPTION AND FLOW

iii) Appearance, means of 

identification, and overall dimensions 

of accountability units (e.g., disposal 

canisters and other containers)

iv) Number of fuel assemblies or other 

radioactive material per disposal 

canister or other container

i) Types of nuclear material, including 

other nuclear, and other radioactive, 

material in the facility besides spent 

fuel (type, form, quantity, and location)

15. Design capacity 

(As number of disposal canisters and 

quantity of nuclear material)

16. Anticipated annual disposals 

(in the form of a projected programme, 

and including disposal of other 

radioactive materials other than spent 

fuel, if applicable)

GENERAL FACILITY DATA

17. Other important items of 

equipment 

i) Monitoring system for excavation 

activities (including types, locations, 

and depths of sensors)

ii) Other monitoring systems 

(including safety monitoring)

iii) Other equipment (including testing 

and experimental equipment)

ii) Types of accountability units to be 

handled in the facility

v) Number of disposal canisters or 

other containers per transport 

container

vi) Range of weight of nuclear material 

per disposal canister or other container
N-76 (11-2020)

19. Schematic flowsheet for nuclear 

material 

(identifying measurement points, 

accountability areas, inventory 

locations, etc.)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs. 

21. Transport and disposal 

container description 

(including size, design, material of 

construction, special identifying 

features, internal basket design, 

capacity, closure, etc.)

NUCLEAR MATERIAL DESCRIPTION AND FLOW

vii) Frequency of receipt of 

accountability units (e.g., batches or 

units per month)

viii) Frequency of receipt of 

accountability units (e.g., batches or 

units per month)

ix) Range of radiation levels and 

temperatures at surface of containers

20. Design range of inventories of 

nuclear material in each storage 

area

FACILITY OPERATION AND HANDLING OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

22. Shielding 

(for storage and transfer)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

23. Methods and means of transfer 

of nuclear material 

(include description of equipment used 

for transport and emplacement of 

disposal canisters)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

24. Transportation routes followed 

by nuclear material 

(with reference to plant layout)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

25. Description of each nuclear 

material storage area 

(with reference to plant layout)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

26. Method of positioning of 

nuclear material in storage area 

(with reference to plant layout)

DRAWING(S) ATTACHED UNDER REF. NOs.

27. Method of nuclear material 

Emplacement 

(Describe unloading and/or 

emplacement procedures)

28. Description of each nuclear 

material Emplacement area 

(Including number of disposal 

locations)
N-76 (11-2020)

MAINTENANCE

29. Above ground and underground 

maintenance activities

30. Basic measures for physical 

protection of nuclear material

PROTECTION AND SAFETY MEASURES

31. Specific health and safety rules 

for inspector compliance

NUCLEAR MATERIAL ACCOUNTANCY AND CONTROL

iii) Receipts 

iv) Transfers between MBAs

v) Shipments 

(describe provisions for removal and 

shipment of disposal canisters and 

nuclear waste, if applicable)

vi) Operational records and 

accounting records 

(including logbooks, general ledgers, 

internal transfer forms, method of 

adjustment or correction, language, 

control measures and responsibility, 

retention location for records, and 

means of long-term preservation of 

records)

32. System description 

i. General 

(give a description of the nuclear 

material accountancy system, the 

method of recording and reporting 

accountancy data and establishing 

material balances. This section should 

also state what general and subsidiary 

ledgers will be used, their form as well 

as who has the responsibility and 

authority. Source data should be 

identified. The procedures for making 

adjustments should be covered.) 

SPECIMEN FORMS USED IN ALL PROCEDURES ATTACHED UNDER REF. No.

ii) Physical inventory 

(description of procedures, frequency, 

estimated distribution of nuclear 

material, methods of operator's 

inventory taking, and accessibility of 

and possible verification method for 

irradiated nuclear material)

33. Features related to 

monitoring, containment and 

surveillance measures 

(general description of applied or 

possible measures in reference to 

facility plan)
N-76 (11-2020)

NUCLEAR MATERIAL ACCOUNTANCY AND CONTROL

vi) Description of nuclear material 

containers used

vii) Measurement method(s) and 

equipment used

ix) Technique and frequency of 

calibration of equipment used 

x) Program for statistical evaluation of 

data from (viii) and (ix)

viii) Source and level of random and 

systematic errors (weight, NDA)

xii) Anticipated number of items per 

flow and inventory batch

xi) Anticipated number of inventory 

batches

ii) Expected types of inventory at this 

measurement point

iii) Possibilities to use this 

measurement point for physical 

inventory taking

iv) Means of batch identification

v) Features related to containmentsurveillance measures

34. For each flow and inventory 

measurement point of 

accountability areas, identified in 

particular under Qs. 13,19, and 23 

Give the following: 

For each measurement point fill in 

separate sheet. 

Number of measurement points: 1 

i) Description of location, type and 

identification 

SEPARATE SHEET(S) CAN BE ATTACHED FOR EACH MEASUREMENT POINT. IF NECESSARY, 

ATTACH DRAWING(S)

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Signature of Responsible Officer

Date (MM/DD/YYYY)

35. Optional information 

(that the operator considers relevant to 

safeguarding the facility)