Switzerland plans nuclear waste storage near German border

International

-DW News

Bern,
Sep
11:
Switzerland
has
announced
plans
to
build
a
nuclear
waste
storage
facility
on
the
border
with
Germany,
leaving
communities
concerned
about
the
issues
of
safety
and
clean
drinking
water
supply.

The
National
Cooperative
for
the
Disposal
of
Radioactive
Waste
(Nagra)
is
behind
the
proposal.
It
suggested
the
region
of
Nördlich
Lägern,
north
of
Zurich
and
close
to
the
border
with
Germany,
the
Swiss
Federal
Office
of
Energy
said.

Nördlich
Lägern
ist
der
sicherste
Standort
für
ein
Tiefenlager:
Dort
eignet
sich
das
Gestein
am
besten.

Die
genaue
Begründung
wird
die
Nagra
am
kommenden
Montag
an
einer
Medienkonferenz
in
Bern
darlegen.

#Jahrhundertprojekt
#Endlager
#Medienmitteilunghttps://t.co/9v6vy3YGzt

—
Nagra
(@Nagra_Schweiz)

September
10,
2022

Nagra
was
set
up
by
power
plant
operators
alongside
the
Swiss
government
to
deal
with
the
controversial
question
of
how
to
dispose
of
radioactive
waste.

Zaporizhzhia:
UN
urges
safety
zone
around
nuclear
plant

How
can
the
safety
of
the
waste
be
guaranteed?

The
waste
would
be
embedded
in
opalinus
clay
underground
of
several
hundred
meters,
Patrick
Studer,
an
official
at
Nagra
said.

“The
required
confinement
time
is
around
200,000
years
for
high-level
waste
and
around
30,000
years
for
low-level
and
intermediate-level
waste,”
Nagra’s
website
stated.

The
waste
will
be
sourced
from
five
Swiss
nuclear
power
plants.
Medical
and
industrial
sectors
will
also
be
allowed
to
contribute
their
waste.

At
the
moment,
four
nuclear
power
plants
are
active
in
Switzerland.
They
may
continue
their
operation
as
long
as
their
safety
is
guaranteed.
This
would
mean
into
the
2040s.

However,
the
so-called
deep
geological
repository
for
spent
nuclear
fuel
and
other
radioactive
waste
needs
to
be
approved
by
both
the
Swiss
government
and
parliament.
This
process
is
expected
to
take
several
years.

German
communities
and
officials
remain
concerned

Concerns
among
German
communities
along
the
border
are
running
high.
Their
concerns
are
primarily
about
the
issues
of
safety
and
drinking
water
supply.

“The
question
of
drinking
water
protection
is
a
major
concern
to
the
population,”
said
Martin
Steinebrunner
from
the
German
coordination
office
for
the
planned
waste
facility.

The
German
Federal
Ministry
for
the
Environment
has
criticized
Switzerland’s
decision
to
build
a
nuclear
waste
repository
right
on
the
border
to
Germany.

The
proximity
of
the
planned
site
near
the
Baden-Württemberg
village
of
Hohentengen
“poses
a
problem
both
during
the
construction
phase
and
during
the
operation
of
the
repository,”
said
Christian
Kühn,
Parliamentary
State
Secretary
in
the
Environment
Ministry
and
and
a
member
of
the
German
parliament
(Bundestag)
from
Baden-Württemberg.

At
the
same
time
Kühn
stressed
that
it
was
“right
and
important”
that
geology
be
the
decisive
criterion
for
the
site
of
a
repository.

There
were
two
other
sites
to
choose
from,
which
are
also
very
close
to
the
German
border.

In
Germany,
the
decision
for
a
dedicated
repository
site
for
highly
radioactive
nuclear
waste
will
not
be
discussed
until
2031
at
the
earliest.

Iran
seeks
stronger
US
guarantees
to
revive
nuclear
deal

Long
process
before
start
of
construction

It
is
still
unclear
where
the
nuclear
waste
will
be
prepared
and
packaged
for
final
storage
should
the
waste
storage
facility
be
approved.

Nagra
has
said
it
will
submit
a
planning
application
by
2024.
The
Swiss
government
then
makes
a
decision
on
the
application,
and
parliament
must
consent
afterwards.

Taking
this
process
into
consideration,
it
is
unlikely
for
the
start
of
the
storage
facility
to
be
anytime
before
around
2050.

Source: DW