Czech parliamentary committee suspends debate on accelerating nuclear waste repository construction

The House Economic Committee today suspended debate on a bill intended to help speed up preparations for the construction of a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. According to the government, the bill expands the rights of affected municipalities in permitting procedures and adjusts deadlines. Committee members will now be able to submit amendments. Michaela Opltová (STAN), the bill’s rapporteur, has already announced an amendment to further expand municipalities’ powers, but did not provide details. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has previously rejected the possibility of giving them veto rights. Committee members will return to the debate in the second half of June.

The law is intended to enshrine the right of affected municipalities to express their views, which will be one of the factors considered in deciding where to locate the repository; the decision will also require the approval of both chambers of Parliament. If either chamber failed to respond within two months of the application being submitted, this would be considered approval. Committee chairman Ivan Adamec (ODS) said the repository was a strategic decision for the state and that Parliament should not become involved in executive decisions. He believes the bill is drafted to avoid accountability. „We will be unable to do without nuclear energy in the future,“ he stressed.

The Platform Against the Deep Geological Repository, which brings together 52 municipalities and associations, is calling for the decision on the site for any potential repository to require the prior consent of the affected municipalities. The law is intended to establish rules for oral hearings and, above all, define the so-called status of affected municipalities as parties to proceedings to designate a protected area for a deep geological repository. The interests of municipalities and residents are to be safeguarded through the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and the Building Act.

The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority wants to investigate four areas for the repository: Horka and Hrádek in the Vysočina Region, Janoch near the South Bohemian town of Temelín, and Březový potok in the Klatovy area. Preparations for geological surveys and research will begin later this year. The site for a repository for spent fuel from nuclear power plants is due to be selected in 2030; according to the platform opposing the repository, the law would bring this deadline forward by two years.

The repository is intended to permanently store mainly thousands of tonnes of spent fuel from nuclear power plants, half a kilometre underground. It was originally expected to be built by 2065, but calls to accelerate construction have emerged following the EU’s temporary classification of nuclear power as a green investment.