Government approves higher compensation for Czech municipalities with repository sites

Municipalities that host a radioactive waste repository or have had an exploration area designated for a deep geological repository will receive higher compensation. Today, the government approved a 43.3 percent increase in contributions from the so-called nuclear account, taking into account inflation over the past five years. This follows from the results of today’s government meeting. The annual contribution is based on the size of the area and the volume of waste stored. Since 2015, the state has paid several hundred million crowns in total to the municipalities affected.

Municipalities with an exploration area designated for a repository, or those that already host one, are entitled to a contribution. The money is intended to compensate municipalities for the risks and restrictions associated with a repository or a designated exploration area. The current contribution was set in 2017 and has not changed since.

The increase in contributions will take effect at the start of next year. The adjustment will be based on the annual contribution, the size of the exploration area within the affected municipality and, for existing repositories, the volume of waste stored. According to the government, the increase is also included in the current draft state budget for next year.

Municipal contributions are currently divided into several categories. Every municipality in which an exploration area has been designated is entitled to 600.000 Kč a year, plus 400.000 Kč a year for each affected square kilometre. When a protected area is designated for intervention in the Earth’s crust, municipalities receive a one-off payment of 60 million Kč, followed by a further 600.000 Kč each year and 600.000 Kč for each affected square kilometre. When a repository is operated within a municipality, it receives four million crowns annually, plus 10.000 Kč for every cubic metre of waste stored.

The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) currently operates repositories at four sites. These are the Richard repository near Litoměřice, Bratrství near the town of Jáchymov, the repository in the Hostim quarry near Beroun and a site near the Dukovany nuclear power plant. In addition, it is preparing to build a deep geological repository. The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) recently authorized exploration at three sites under consideration: Horka in the Třebíč region, Janoch near Temelín in South Bohemia and Březový potok in the Klatovy region. SÚRAO will carry out work at the shortlisted sites, including deep borehole drilling.