Exploration work for Czech nuclear waste repository can begin at two sites; municipalities' appeals fail

Municipalities in the Březový potok area in the Klatovy region and at Janoch near Temelín have failed in their appeals against the designation of exploration areas for the planned deep geological repository for radioactive waste. The Ministry of the Environment rejected the appeals, Martina Bílá, spokeswoman for the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO), told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) today. The final designation of the exploration areas is an important step towards selecting a final and a backup site for the deep geological repository, she said. The municipalities have long opposed the repository and are now considering their next steps.

According to SÚRAO, exploration work can now begin in the two areas mentioned, in western and southern Bohemia. This will include detailed geological mapping, followed by geophysical surveys and deep drilling. The authority says the surveys will allow geologists to study in detail the rock massif where the repository could be located in the future. The aim will be to gather information on the mineral composition and strength of the rocks, faults and fissures, as well as on the composition and flow of groundwater.

According to SÚRAO, all the work will contribute to selecting the most suitable and safest site for a deep geological repository for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. Once the exploration areas have been designated, the state will begin paying municipalities the contributions to which they are legally entitled. SÚRAO says the Březový potok area will receive CZK 31.2 million a year and the Janoch area CZK 17 million a year.

Representatives of municipalities in the Janoch area plan to meet on Monday to decide on their next steps. They told ČTK. „Another option is to file a lawsuit, but it would not have a suspensive effect. That means work will begin regardless of whether the court considers the matter,“ Zdeněk Souček, spokesman for the Platform Against the Repository, which brings together 52 municipalities and associations, told ČTK.

The Ministry of the Environment approved exploration last year not only at Janoch and Březový potok, but also in the Horka area in the Třebíč region. The municipalities subsequently filed appeals, which the ministry has now rejected in the cases of Březový potok and Janoch. Authorities have not yet said whether, and if so how, a decision has been made in the case of Horka. The government is to set up a working group to communicate with municipalities, which should make it easier for them to participate in preparing for and operating the repository. However, municipalities do not have the right to veto the choice of site.

The state is expected to select the most suitable site by 2030. According to the authority's plans, the deep geological repository is intended to provide a final solution for the lifecycle of radioactive waste. It is intended to permanently store mainly thousands of tonnes of spent fuel from nuclear power plants, half a kilometre underground. It was originally due to be built by 2065, but accelerating construction is being discussed because nuclear power has been temporarily included among green investments in the EU. One condition is that countries relying on nuclear power must have deep geological repositories from 2050. Other countries, as well as Czechia, are preparing their own repositories.

The exploration areas are significantly larger than the surface or underground complex of the deep geological repository itself. The underground section will cover an area of two to three square kilometres. According to completed studies, the surface complex will cover between 15 and 20 hectares. However, this will depend on local conditions, such as the terrain's morphology and transport access.