Switzerland builds nuclear waste cemetery near German border

The northern facade of the Lägern hill, where the future nuclear cemetery will be located, was chosen over two other options, one in the east of the Jura mountains and the other also close to Zurich, as it provides a better ecological barrier and greater stability for it. rocky base. The Swiss Federal Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

The construction of these facilities, which will be operational by the middle of the century, will cost about 20,000 million Swiss francs (about 20,700 million euros).

The search for a storage site in deep geological strata, which has been carried out by the National Cooperative Association for the Deposit of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA), has been going on for 14 years, with the participation of the respective cities and neighboring regions of Germany, assures the Ministry of Energy.

Experts have indicated that the subsoil of the Lägern region contains opaline clays with great potential as a geological barrier to radioactivity, in addition to the layers of rock that cover this aquifer.

Swiss law provides for the deposit of waste from nuclear power plants located on its territory in the country itself, in underground cemeteries.

In 2008, a search was established at the waste site, which is expected to be completed with final approval in 2030, although this decision is subject to referendum.

Until 1993, Switzerland sent its waste from atomic energy production to France and the United Kingdom, but has since been storing it in a warehouse in Würelingen, also near the German border.

Since then, the Swiss authorities have viewed this deposit as a “temporary storage hub” pending long-term solutions, such as the geological deposit, a solution that countries such as Sweden, France or Canada are also considering.

DMC // RBF

Lusa / end