[en] The concept for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Finland considers an engineered and natural (crystalline rock) multi-barrier system surrounding the spent fuel. This work aims at predicting and making a quantitative assessment of the geochemical evolution of the near-field (canister, buffer, backfill and adjacent fractured bedrock) during the unsaturated thermal period and in the long-term, after saturation has been completed. The groundwater/bentonite buffer interaction during the unsaturated thermal period is tackled through a two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric scheme using the thermo-hydro-geochemical code TOUGHREACT. In turn, the long-term interaction of the fully water-saturated buffer and backfill with groundwater is assessed through 3D numerical models using the reactive transport code PHAST under isothermal conditions. A set of base cases have been set up based on the most plausible set of input data. In addition, a limited number of sensitivity cases have been conducted to analyse the influence of key parameters controlling the system and reduce uncertainty. Predicted mineralogical changes of accessory minerals in the bentonite for the thermal period are controlled by the dependence of mineral solubilities on temperature and on the solute transport by advection during the saturation process, and diffusion during the whole period. The results of the thermal period indicate that a small amount of the primary amorphous silica is redistributed in the buffer: dissolution close to the canister and precipitation close to the buffer - rock interface. Primary calcite dissolution/precipitation is minimal, remaining stable throughout the simulation time in all cases. Anhydrite precipitates near the canister due to the elevated temperature, while it dissolves from the outside of the buffer. The results indicate that there is no significant evaporation of water near the copper canister and thus no chloride salt reaches saturation. The geochemical changes of the buffer in the long-term are also limited. Complete dissolution of gypsum from the buffer is predicted in some cases. The changes in the montmorillonite exchanger are significant, with a high replacement of sodium and magnesium by calcium. The inflow of Olkiluoto groundwater leads to relatively small changes on the pH of the near-field. Overall, the models indicate that the buffer will remain geochemically stable throughout the simulation time for the conditions considered in this work. (orig.)