Confederation confirms: The deep geological repository is to be constructed in Nördlich Lägern
The search for sites for the nuclear waste repository has been ongoing in Switzerland for almost 14 years. Nagra has now announced that it will build the planned deep geological repository in the Nördlich Lägern siting area and the fuel element packaging plant near the existing facility at the Würenlingen site.
According to the National Co-operative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), the Opalinus Clay in the siting area Nördlich Lägern has the best geological barrier effect. The Opalinus Clay here is also deeper and is better protected against erosion by hard rock layers above. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the announcement of the siting area and the location of the packaging plant is an "important milestone" in the ongoing site search. However, the announcement of the siting area is not yet equivalent to an approval.
The general licence applications for the deep geological repository and for the fuel element packaging facility, including all technical details, will not be submitted by Nagra for about two years. The review process leading up to a decision could take until the end of the 2020s. However, the announcement at the present time is necessary, as the Federal Office of Energy writes, so that the cooperation of the stakeholders with the affected parties can continue.
Nagra does not intend to build the fuel packaging facility in the siting area itself, but on the site of the existing interim storage facility in the municipality of Würenlingen, adjacent to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). According to Nagra, this has the advantage that synergies with the existing nuclear facilities there can be exploited and the space required is smaller.
The press conference of the Federal Office of Energy to follow:
Source: Federal Office of Energy/Editorial Office
