Technical visits

You can join one of the two technical tours on Friday, 09 Apr 2027.

Registration is mandatory and has to be done via the congress registration form.

A fee will be charged for excursions. Transportation is included. The tours will start and end in Antwerp. Coffee breaks and lunch will be organized.

Our tours have a minimum and maximum number of participants. Places will be offered to young professionals first on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Visit COVRA


The Central Organization For Radioactive Waste (COVRA) is the only company in the Netherlands tasked with collection, treatment and storage of radioactive waste. All organisations in the Netherlands, that have a licence pursuant to the Dutch Nuclear Energy Act to work with radioactive substances, are obliged to tender their radioactive waste to COVRA. In order to implement its public task for radioactive waste, COVRA has realized a storage and treatment facility in Zeeland in the southwest of the Netherlands. COVRA also prepares for the eventual disposal of the Dutch waste and is a knowledge partner for government and society to support national radioactive waste policy and management programmes.

What makes COVRA truly unique is how it communicates about the radioactive waste. How it understands the art of storage as well as the storage of art. During the technical tour you will see several examples of this. You will visit the storage building for low- and medium-level waste, which also functions as a regional depot for museums from the region. You will also visit the iconic building for high-level radioactive waste, which is a work of art itself. The building was painted in a bright orange colour and repainted every 20 years in a lighter shade of orange. In this way the building shows the decay and cooling down of the waste.

In addition to the storage facilities also possible designs are explained for geological disposal facilities in the Netherlands. You will see clay cores extracted from the underground in the municipality of Borssele, where COVRA is located.

Important information:

  • To participate you must be able to cover some distance on foot, including stairs.
  • Please bring your ID card or passport. No ID is no access.
  • As it is an industrial environment: sturdy footwear is recommended. High heels are not permitted.
  • Eating, drinking, and/or smoking are not permitted during the tour.
  • Bags are not allowed on the tour. Leave large luggage items at the hotel or on the bus. Lockers are available on site for small bags.
  • Want to take photos? Yes, please! Bring your phone or camera. We like it when you mention us on social media.

Visit HADES


Located 225 meters deep in the Boom Clay, HADES is the Belgian underground research laboratory to study deep disposal of radioactive waste in a clay formation.

HADES, the High Activity Disposal Experimental Site, is operated by EURIDICE, a partnership between NIRAS-ONDRAF, responsible for the safe management of all radioactive waste in Belgium, and SCK CEN, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre. The EURIDICE team is responsible for safely operating the laboratory and its installations, performing research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) on deep disposal in clay and communicating about its activities.

Ever evolving in function of the research needs, HADES is crucial to the Belgian research programme on radioactive waste management. It is a one-of-a-kind underground research facility, tucked away in a thick layer of clay. For years, scientists have been exploring how this natural barrier could help safely dispose of radioactive waste deep underground.

During your visit to HADES, your guide will show the exhibition hall at EURIDICE, giving an overview of the research into the possibility of underground storage of radioactive waste in deep clay layers. Videos, drawings, and models are used to explain the research that has been conducted and the broader context. Following this introduction, you will descend to HADES at 225 meters depth into the heart of the Boomse Klei. In the underground laboratory, the guide explains a number of experiments that illustrate the various aspects of the research and help answer scientific and technical questions about the feasibility and safety of underground storage of radioactive waste.

Important information:

  • Visitors must always follow the instructions of the guide.
  • HADES is located on the EURIDICE grounds, next to the SCK CEN. Taking pictures of filming videos is not permitted on EURIDICE grounds or on the access roads along the SCK CEN.
  • Wearing open shoes is not permitted in HADES, however safety shoes are not necessary.
  • People who need help or support while walking are not allowed to descend to the underground laboratory.
  • As HADES is a laboratory, food and drinks are not allowed.