Switzerland chooses site near German border for nuclear waste storage | Switzerland
The Swiss authorities have selected a site in northern Switzerland, not far from the German border, to house a deep geological repository for radioactive waste.
After almost 50 years of searching for the best way to store its radioactive waste, Switzerland is preparing for its project of the century, which involves burying spent nuclear fuel in clay deep underground.
The organization responsible for handling the country’s radioactive waste said Saturday it had decided the Nördlich Lägern region was the best of three locations it was considering for the underground repository.
The authorities “chosen Nördlich Lägern as the safest location for a deep geological repository,” said Felix Glauser, spokesman for the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), in an email to AFP, confirming a report by the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS .
“Extensive investigations have shown that Nördlich Lägern is the most suitable location and has the largest safety reserves,” he added.
Nagra informed the local population directly and is expected to submit its proposal to the Swiss government on Monday, Keystone-ATS reported.
The Swiss government won’t make the final decision until 2029, but that probably won’t be the last word as the matter would likely end up in a referendum under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy.
Swiss nuclear power plants have been pumping out radioactive waste for more than half a century. After the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima power plant in Japan, Switzerland decided to gradually phase out nuclear energy: its reactors can continue to run as long as they are safe.
For the time being, the waste is stored in an interim depot in Würenlingen, 15 km from the German border.
With the new facility, Switzerland hopes to join an elite club of countries moving closer to deep geological storage. So far only Finland has built a granite site. Sweden gave the green light in January to build its own facility to bury spent nuclear fuel in granite. France also plans to store radioactive waste underground in clay.
An estimated 83,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste, including some highly radioactive waste, have to be buried in Switzerland. This amount corresponds to 60 years of operation of the Beznau, Gosgen and Leibstadt nuclear power plants and the 47 years that Mühleberg was in operation before it was closed in 2019.
Filling in the underground nuclear waste graves should begin by 2060, followed by several decades of close monitoring. The site was sealed sometime in the 22nd century.