Site In Northern Switzerland Chosen For Nuclear Waste Storage

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The northern Lägern region, where Nagra has conducted exploratory drilling, is being proposed for the construction of a deep geological nuclear waste repository. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

A deep geological repository for radioactive waste will be built in the northern Lägern region straddling cantons Aargau and Zurich, not far from the German border, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE) said on Saturday.

This content was published on September 10, 2022 - 16:40 September 10, 2022 - 16:40 Keystone-SDA/gw

The selection was confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency by BFE spokesperson Marianne Zünd . The fuel conditioning facility will be built near the existing central interim storage facility in Würenlingen, canton Aargau, she said.

Until now, radioactive waste in Switzerland has been held in interim storage facilities and at nuclear power plants. Experts worldwide say that a deep geological repository represents the safest solution for storing nuclear waste, according to the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NagraExternal link ).

Residents of the northern Lägern region were informed of the selection on Saturday. Nagra, which undertook geological studies and is responsible for planning and implementing the repository, will share further information on the decision on Monday.

Three potential sites in the running

For almost 50 years, Switzerland had been searching for a suitable location for the storage of radioactive waste. Three potential regions had been proposed: in addition to the northern Lägern region, sites in the Zurich Weinland region and in the Jura East region of Aargau were in the running.

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