The Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) is a unique research facility for geological disposal. We perform a series of experiments at a depth of 500 metres together with Swedish and international experts. The purpose of these experiments can range from mapping the flow of water in the rock to the life of microbes.
Final rehearsal
The laboratory is not just used by researchers for field experiments. A final rehearsal for the construction of the final repository for spent nuclear fuel is also being staged here. In many ways these facilities resemble the final repository. Practically everything is in place: The canisters, the clay, the machinery, the tunnels and the disposal holes. But there is one important difference between the facilities – there is no spent nuclear fuel here.
Visit Äspö
The Äspö HRL is open to the public. There is an exhibition here and we arrange guided tours down into a tunnel. Each year we receive some 10,000 visitors. Take this opportunity to book a visit too.
Discover the underground!