The decision on the future location of the nuclear waste repository has been made: a region not far from Zurich is in the foreground. Even if there were to be opposition, politicians have ensured that resistance would come to nothing.
View of the deep drilling work in the Nördlich Lägern siting region for the deep repository of the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra).
In the last few days, the signs had become more and more concentrated, now the decision is final: The nuclear repository in Switzerland is to be realized in the “Nördlich-Lägern” area. This was confirmed by Marianne Zünd, spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Energy (BFE), on Saturday to the NZZ. The “Nördlich Lägern” area is located in the cantons of Aargau and Zurich, not far from the border with Germany.
The public will be comprehensively informed about the location decision on Monday. It had long been suspected that the plant would be built in Zurich’s wine region. The “Jura Ost” area near Bözberg was the third location to choose from. The fact that “Nördlich Lägern” was chosen is a surprise, given that the region was temporarily removed from the list of preferred locations in 2015.