The Association

Arius is a non-commercial association, based in Switzerland. Download The Articles of Association 42 kb.

Why was Arius established?

Managing radioactive wastes is a complex problem faced by many countries around the world. It is a major issue in energy policy for all countries that generate electricity using nuclear power, as well as being a concern for others that use radioactive materials. Providing solutions that are safe and secure, both in the short term and for future generations, requires consideration of many technical and social factors.

Safe surface storage of radioactive wastes has been widely implemented for decades, although there are new concerns about the security against terrorism of storage buildings for some kinds of waste. Several countries are moving progressively towards final disposal by emplacement of conditioned waste in carefully engineered repositories deep underground. Moving wastes underground - after converting them to a stable, solid form - is a big step towards increased security. Final disposal is a carefully staged process taking many decades, with repositories being kept open and monitored for as long as it needs to achieve a broad consensus and confidence about long-term safety.

Many smaller nuclear power programmes are considering whether they will have to make independent provision for disposal. The costs are high relative to the amounts of material involved and independent disposal facilities would make poor use of scarce national resources. There are clearly benefits of scale and economy in getting together to develop joint facilities, both for storage and disposal. These facilities might be at a regional level, perhaps serving several neighbouring countries, or truly international, available to users world-wide. A few countries have already recognised the value of shared facilities and, while pursuing their own national programmes, also want to explore the international option in a 'dual track' approach.

Arius was founded to help promote concepts for shared facilities on behalf of members who have an interest in exploring all possible waste management options. The founding membership comprises national waste management organisations, industrial companies and individuals, all of whom share the common aims of working together to make the world safer and more secure and allowing easier decisions to be made about the future of nuclear energy.