Beishan Underground Research Laboratory

{{Short description|Radioactive waste repository in Gansu, China}}

{{Orphan|date=November 2022}}

The Beishan Underground Research Laboratory (also shortened Beishan URL) is a deep geological repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, currently under construction in the Gobi Desert, in Gansu, China. The facility is expected to take 7 years to build, with a planned operating period of 50 years, and cost approximately 2.7 billion yuan (US$400 million). It will reach {{Convert|560|m|ft|abbr=on}} below ground at its deepest point.{{cite news |last1=Xie |first1=Echo |title=China builds bunker to test whether nuclear waste can be dumped underground |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3138484/china-builds-bunker-test-whether-nuclear-waste-can-be-dumped |access-date=28 June 2021 |publisher=South China Morning Post |date=23 June 2021}}{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Ju |last2=Liang |first2=Chen |last3=Su |first3=Rui |last4=Zhao |first4=Xingguang |title=The Beishan underground research laboratory for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in China: Planning, site selection, site characterization and in situ tests |journal=Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering |date=June 2018 |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=411–435 |doi=10.1016/j.jrmge.2018.03.002 |bibcode=2018JRMGE..10..411W |s2cid=135394727 |doi-access=free }}{{cite news |title=China starts building underground lab |url=https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-starts-building-underground-lab |access-date=28 June 2021 |publisher=World Nuclear News |date=21 June 2021}}