nuclear power
Court in the Czech Republic dismisses lawsuit against nuclear waste repository
Unlike Germany, the Czech Republic continues to rely on nuclear power – and wants to increase the share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix by 2040. photo
© Armin Weigel/dpa
The Czech government is looking for a deep repository for high-level radioactive waste. Four locations are shortlisted – none is more than 200 kilometers away from Bavaria and Austria.
Nine municipalities in the Czech Republic have failed with a lawsuit against the government’s plans to build a nuclear waste repository. The Supreme Administrative Court in Brno (Brno) dismissed the appeal, according to the Official Gazette.
In December 2020, the government in Prague decided to shortlist four possible sites for the repository for high-level radioactive waste. None is more than 200 kilometers away from Bavaria and Austria.
The plaintiffs complained that the Czech Atomic Energy Act provided that the question of final storage had to be regulated by a separate law. To date, however, this has not been approved. They also explained that the residents of the communities concerned were already afraid for their health, life and property during the selection process.
Legal action possible after final repository decision
The judges dismissed the lawsuit as unfounded because it was merely an internal government directive. They referred to the possibility of going to court after a final location decision. This is expected by the end of 2030.
The communities in the immediate vicinity of the locality called Horka near the town of Trebic in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands had sued.
Unlike Germany, the Czech Republic continues to rely on nuclear power. By 2040, the share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix is to be increased from a good third to more than half.