Regulatory requirements
The Swiss Nuclear Energy Act includes the principle that radioactive waste produced in Switzerland must be disposed of in Switzerland. Responsibility for disposal rests with the producers of the waste. Deep geological repositories are required for the permanent and safe disposal of radioactive waste.
A deep geological repository consists of a main facility, a pilot facility and test areas. The test areas are for investigating the safety-related properties of the host rock, and the pilot facility is for monitoring the behaviour of the waste, the backfill and host rock in the period prior to the sealing of the repository.
During the operation and observation phase of the repository it should be possible to retrieve the deposited waste without undue effort.
The Nuclear Energy Act also stipulates a series of licences that must be obtained prior to completion of a deep geological repository, starting with a general licence. The site selection procedure is described in the conceptual part of the sectoral plan for deep geological repositories and this procedure must be completed before a general license can be granted. The selection criteria were drafted by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy in conjunction with official bodies and the cantons, and ENSI developed and documented the safety criteria to be applied during the selection procedure. The Swiss Federal Council approved the conceptual part of the master plan in April 2008.
