Sources of radioactive waste

Technical background to experiments running at the grimsel test site
Nuclear Power Plants

The largest producers of radioactive waste in Switzerland are the nuclear power plants. Switzerland has four nuclear power plants that are operational and generate electricity. The Mühleberg nuclear power plant was shut down in December 2019 and decommissioning is in progress.

The GTS underground facilities are also available to interested 3rd parties
Medical applications

Waste from medicine, industry and research (MIR) will also eventually be sustainably disposed of in a deep geological repository. The federal government is responsible for this waste, which is held in the Swiss Federal Interim Storage Facility in Würenlingen.

The GTS underground facilities are also available to interested 3rd parties
Industry and technology

The targeted radiation of certain accelerator components with particles results in the generation of radioactive substances that are needed for medical and industrial applications. Photo: CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful particle accelerator in the world.

We consume raw materials and energy on a daily basis. This produces gaseous, liquid and solid wastes. Some of this waste can be recycled and the remainder has to be disposed of safely. Respect for the environment, mankind and biota demands that we find and implement waste management solutions. Radioactive wastes have to be isolated from the human environment for the duration of their toxicity and managed safely. Carefully implemented procedures and proper practices can ensure that no adverse effects will result.

Waste generation in SwitzerlandDifferent types of radioactive waste and their sources in Switzerland

Deep geological disposal

Based on current understanding, many countries, including Switzerland, have concluded that deep geological disposal is the only method for managing radioactive waste that meets the strict requirements relating to long-term safety. Concepts in which safety relies on continuous monitoring by human institutions are not capable of fulfilling these requirements, for long times.

nagras underground disposal conceptNagra's concept for an underground nuclear waste repository

Underground laboratories (URLs), such as Grimsel,  serve an important role in the overall investigation into the long-term disposal of radioactive waste. Together with site-specific tests, laboratory studies and studies of natural analogues, they can assist in developing rigorous databases for the assessment of long-term safety and engineering feasibility of proposed disposal concepts.

The Swiss Federal Council and Parliament have decided that all waste arising in Switzerland will undergo deep geological disposal.