Berlin demands compensation payments for Swiss repository

After Switzerland's decision to build a nuclear waste repository near the German border, the federal government expects support from the communities affected. The facility near the border will “also put a heavy burden on the communities on the German side,” said a spokesman for the Federal Environment Ministry on Monday in Berlin. There are already talks with Switzerland about "compensation payments for regional development". Switzerland has signaled willingness to make such payments.

After almost 50 years of searching, the Swiss authorities decided on the location of a nuclear waste repository. The deep geological repository for spent fuel elements is to be built in the Nördlich Lägern area - not far from the German border. The necessary rock layer of Opalinus Clay is deepest under the earth's surface, the layer is thickest and the possible area for the planned repository is largest, said Matthias Braun, head of the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra). "It's a clear decision. The geology has spoken.” When drilling in Nördlich Lägern, traces of water that were older than anywhere else were found in the layer of Opalinus Clay: the water is said to be 175 million years old.

“Time practically stands still here,” said Braun. This shows how well the rock absorbs moisture. In addition, the rock binds radioactive material and can repair cracks itself. The Opalinus Clay in Nördlich Lägern is 100 meters thick.

The packaging system is to be built at the current interim storage facility in Würenlingen, because there are already buildings there that can be used, said Braun.

The radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, industry and research is to be buried hundreds of meters deep in the repository. The construction of the warehouse still has to go through the approval process and is not expected to begin before 2031, with storage in 2050.