The Swiss waste management program

In Switzerland, legislation and regulatory guidance are in place to ensure the implementation of deep geological repositories for all types of radioactive waste. A site selection process based on safety criteria, defined in the “Sectoral plan for deep geological repositories”, will be followed by a step-by-step licensing process under the responsibility of the Federal Government. Stage 1 of the Sectoral Plan has been successfully completed and geological siting regions identified. Stage 2, currently underway, has included the participation of a wide range of stakeholder to identify sites for the surface facilities. It will lead to the narrowing down of the number of geological siting regions by means of a safety-based comparison. Key factors for successful site selection include: (i) A clearly defined stepwise approach with the criteria defined before starting site selection with first priority given to safety; (ii) a process in which all stakeholders are prepared to commit themselves and work together, and are ready to accept the basic rules defined beforehand; (iii) for this purpose, it is important to have a strong process owner who keeps the process on track.