Guidance

London and the Thames Valley - Subregion 1

National Geological Screening for a GDF - London and the Thames Valley region

The screening report hosted on this site is a technical exercise across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. No specific location in England, Wales or Northern Ireland has been identified as a potential GDF site. Any future decision on geological disposal would be subject to community agreement and planning and environmental consents.

Details

Our work shows that we may find a suitable geological setting for a GDF in a small part of this subregion, but the properties of the potential rock present may not be suitable.

London and the Thames Valley - Subregion 1

Although rock cannot generally be seen at the surface in this subregion except in man-made excavations such as quarries and road cuttings, some deep boreholes and geophysical investigations, give us an understanding of the rocks present and their distribution.

There are various types of gaps in our understanding of geology and we deal with these gaps in a number of ways.

There are granites and similar strong rocks around Milton Keynes, in which we may be able to site a GDF. These rocks have only been found in a handful of boreholes and we would need to do more work to find out whether these rocks have suitable properties and thicknesses in the depth range of interest for a GDF.

There are no known coal, oil, gas or metal resources in this subregion which means that it is unlikely that future generations may disturb a facility.

For further information, read the report below.

We have also produced a summary of the geological attributes of the London and the Thames Valley Region.

Go to National Geological Screening for a GDF

Go to geological disposal homepage

Published 19 December 2018