Nuclear repository community of Stadel ZH wants to involve the population
Published: Tuesday, Nov 19th 2024, 13:50
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Following the submission of Nagra's application for a future nuclear repository in Stadel ZH, the municipality itself reacted in a sober and calm manner. It wanted to safeguard the interests of the municipality in the democratic process and actively and continuously involve the population.
This decision-making process will be very challenging, especially for Stadel as a siting municipality, the municipality announced on Tuesday. With the submission of the general license application for the construction of a deep geological repository for radioactive waste, Switzerland is experiencing a first.
Dieter Schaltegger, mayor of Stadel, said: "Stadel is a very small, rural community. We are the ones who have to tolerate the deep geological repository." Fortunately, however, it was recognized early on that such a project would be an excessive demand for such a small village and a municipal council without additional resources.
Stadel's municipal council has therefore made preparations and has ensured since the beginning of 2024 that the population is informed in a timely and transparent manner, whether through events or the available communication channels. This allows residents to better understand why their municipality will be in the national spotlight in the coming years.
The municipality also wants to get involved in the federal government so that its interests are taken into account.
Application examined by a group of experts
In addition to the canton of Zurich, the cantons of Aargau and Schaffhausen are also affected by the project. The canton of Aargau in particular because of the planned fuel element packaging plant in Würenlingen and the canton of Schaffhausen because of the immediate proximity to the Nördlich Lägern deep geological repository site in the municipality of Stadel.
They have joined together in the so-called Committee of the Cantons (ADK) in order to coordinate their involvement. They are initially taking note of the submission of the general license application. They want to have the application with its 200 or so scientific reports carefully examined by the independent Cantonal Expert Group on Safety (KES).
This works closely with the Cantonal Safety Working Group (Sika). The cantons concerned are expected to submit their official statements on the application in the fall of 2027, largely based on the safety assessment by Sika and KES. The top priority in all of this is the safety of people and the environment.
"There is a risk that planning will be forced"
On Tuesday, the parties on the left of the Swiss political landscape issued their first statements. The Green Party of the Canton of Zurich is calling for an extremely critical review of the application by the nuclear supervisory authority Ensi, as well as full transparency and a clear definition of the red lines, which could possibly lead to the planning being discontinued.
As there is currently no alternative to the site selected by Nagra, there is a risk that planning will be pushed ahead even if serious problems regarding the technical feasibility or suitability of the site become apparent.
Left-wing parties want to stick to the nuclear phase-out
Nevertheless, the Green Party of the Canton of Zurich is convinced that Switzerland must take responsibility for the nuclear waste produced domestically. However, if a deep geological repository were to be built, all nuclear power plants in Switzerland would first have to be decommissioned. This is so that the amount of radioactive nuclear waste to be stored is clearly defined.
The Greens of the Canton of Zurich are therefore calling for a binding plan to phase out nuclear energy. This is a demand that they share with the SP Switzerland. The latter stated via X that the planned nuclear waste repository does not offer a genuine retrievability concept and poses an enormous risk for future generations. The definitive nuclear phase-out should therefore be maintained.
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