Effects of a deep geological repository

Radioactive waste emits radiation. Deep geological repositories should ensure that people and the environment are protected from negative impacts. Licences for the construction and operation of a deep geological repository are therefore only granted if the applicant can prove that the repository will not have any relevant radiological impacts during operation or after closure.

However, the planning, construction and operation of such a plant also have an impact on the environment, economy and society in the siting region. These aspects are also taken into account in the sectoral plan procedure for deep geological repositories:

• In the various licence procedures, the impact on the environment is examined in environmental impact assessments.
• Effects on the economy and society are monitored from the outset. Negative developments should be countered at an early stage, but opportunities for regional development should also be utilised.
  

Environmental impact assessments (EIA)

As for other major construction projects, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in accordance with Article 10a of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) must be carried out in the licence procedures for the deep geological repository and for the fuel element packaging facility. The EIAs are used by the federal authorities to check whether the planned facilities comply with the applicable environmental regulations during their construction and operation. The 1st stage EIA is carried out in the general licence procedure and the 2nd stage EIA in the building permit procedure.

As part of the application documents, Nagra must submit an environmental impact report (EIR) in which it sets out the likely impact of the projects on the environment and the measures planned to avoid or minimise this impact. This report is examined by the cantonal and federal authorities, and the result of the examination becomes part of the licence, e.g. in the form of mandatory conditions such as protective or alternative measures.

The effect of the EIA does not begin with the project approval, but already during the project planning phase. The aim is to recognise the environmental impact of the facilities at an early stage and to avoid or limit this impact. For example, environmental criteria were already heavily weighted in the search for locations for surface infrastructure.

In 2015/16, Nagra carried out the first preliminary investigations for the EIA for the three siting regions at that time. Preliminary investigations contain specifications for the EIA and show which questions are to be answered and by which methods.

With the site proposal for the deep geological repository in northern Lägern and for the packaging facility in Würenlingen, Nagra also submitted updated preliminary EIA investigations for these sites in 2022. The examining authorities came to the conclusion that these preliminary investigations largely fulfil the requirements of environmental protection legislation in the 17 environmental areas examined. However, Nagra still had to adapt the specifications for the main inspections in some respects. Based on the information available at the time, the FOEN determined that there were no insurmountable obstacles to licencing from an environmental point of view.

The EIA procedures for the deep geological repository are a special case in that there is a long time lag between the first and second stages, and project components, construction procedures or environmental protection regulations may change in the meantime. The general licence application only sets out the main features of the project and many environmental aspects, such as construction work, cannot yet be finalised.

Deep geological repositories and water protection

As part of the discussions on the placement of surface infrastructure in the sectoral planning procedure for deep geological repositories, water protection issues were sometimes the subject of controversial debate. The focus was particularly on large groundwater resources that can be used as drinking water. Various stakeholders have called for water protection to be given much greater weight than other criteria when selecting locations for surface infrastructure. Nagra 2013 responded to this in a report deemed plausible by the federal authorities on how the protection of people and the environment can be ensured, particularly with regard to water protection.

The federal authorities state that a deep geological repository and its surface infrastructures do not pose any particular risk to the aquatic environment: The comparatively small amount of radioactive waste is in a solid form that is difficult to dissolve and is securely packaged and shielded. In addition, numerous structural and operational protective measures are planned for the packaging plant and the deep geological repository. The potential nuclear impact of a nuclear facility on water bodies is comprehensively examined during the safety assessment of applications for general, construction and operating licences under nuclear energy law, whereby very strict limits must be met. In the view of the federal authorities, there is therefore no reason to prioritise water protection over other aspects of environmental protection or spatial planning when weighing up interests.

Socio-economic-ecological impact study (SEEIS)

In stage 2, the SFOE carried out a socio-economic-ecological impact study (SEEIS) for each of the six potential sites for a deep geological repository at that time. The potential ecological, economic and social impacts of the construction, operation and closure of a deep geological repository over almost one hundred years were assessed in the form of a utility analysis. The study was based on data analyses, literature research and interviews with experts, and was published in 2014.

The SEEIS was carried out in all siting regions using the same methodology: Forty indicators were aggregated to assess six overall objectives (two each for the economic, environmental and social impact areas). The target and indicator system of the SEEIS should assess impacts that can be objectified as far as possible. Possible indirect effects that are difficult to assess, such as negative image effects, were deliberately excluded. It was not methodologically permissible to calculate the six overall objectives. In particular, this means that negative effects in the environmental and social sections could not be offset by positive effects in the economic section.

The effects of the deep geological repository on the two overall objectives of the economic impact area (regional economic effects, public finances) were assessed as similarly positive for all sites. The overall objectives in the impact areas of environment (conserving resources, avoiding emissions) and society (developing and protecting settlement areas) were rated negatively for all locations. However, there were some major differences between the individual regions.

During the work on the SEEIS, numerous questions arose, particularly as a result of feedback from the cantons and the regional conferences, which could not be answered directly with the SEEIS, but the clarification of which was nevertheless of broad interest. The SFOE has answered many of these additional questions in several reports. There were also additional questions that could not yet be answered or addressed in the desired depth due to the planning status in stage 2. These questions were taken into account when designing the in-depth analyses.

The results of the SEEIS and the additional questions were summarised for each siting region in ‘synthesis reports’, which were updated in later years and supplemented by the results of the social study, the socio-economic monitoring and the in-depth investigations.

Social study of the cantons

Some fear that the siting region of a deep geological repository will be viewed unfavourably and that the economy or population of these regions could suffer a negative impact. As these possible negative effects were not taken into account in the SEEIS, the cantons that are members of the Committee of Cantons decided to carry out a social study. This study included population surveys and was conducted in the siting regions of Jura Ost, northern Lägern and Zürich Nordost. The results were published in 2016 and 2018. No negative effects on the perception of the siting regions by the local population and the inhabitants of neighbouring regions were identified at the time of planning. The final reports of these studies are available on the page of the Committee of the Cantons (web page available in German).

The original plan was for the siting cantons to carry out a second survey after a few years in order to be able to observe the development over time in the siting regions. This project has now been integrated into the SFOE's socio-economic monitoring programme.

Monitoring the economy and society

Since the start of stage 3 of the sectoral planning procedure, monitoring includes periodically collecting and documenting a series of social and economic indicators in the siting regions. This information creates the possibility of counteracting undesirable developments and utilising opportunities for positive developments.

Monitoring makes it possible to systematically record regional developments and provides clear findings on the impact of deep geological repositories. The findings also allow to identify areas in which specific projects can and should be implemented in the regions so that sustainable development is possible despite or alongside deep geological repositories.

Monitoring alone cannot explain the causality of the effects. It will therefore remain unclear in many cases whether observed changes are due to regional measures, the deep geological repository or other drivers. This requires in-depth analyses.

With regard to monitoring, the SFOE developed a concept in collaboration with the siting regions and cantons and published it in 2016. The concept was further refined in 2017 and tested in a pilot project in 2018/19. The developments in the siting regions identified in the pilot did not deviate significantly from the development of neighbouring regions or from the Swiss or southern German average. This came as no surprise, as the site of the deep geological repository had not yet been proposed at the time and only a few corresponding activities had taken place in the regions up to that point. Nevertheless, it is important to build up a longer time series as a ‘zero measurement’, with which the results during the construction or operating phase of the repository can then be compared.

The monitoring will be carried out a second time in 2024.

In-depth investigations

The in-depth investigations in stage 3 of the sectoral planning procedure are (generally one-off) studies that examine individual questions on the impacts of a deep geological repository in greater depth and assess selected future impacts using scenarios or forecasts. This involves forecasting potential effects and developments, and possibly also causalities. It is also conceivable to carry out an ex-post evaluation of effects that have already occurred (e.g. changes in the property market that have already taken place).

In-depth investigations do not only deal with economic topics. They serve as a ‘catch basin’, especially if questions arise that are not sufficiently covered by the EIA or the social study.

In 2016, the SFOE developed and published a concept for in-depth investigations in collaboration with the siting regions and cantons. In particular, the additional questions still open regarding the SEEIS were taken into account. The concept included the following six studies:

A: Residential location and economy
B: Public finance
C/D: Different perimeters and time periods
E: Economic effects of the impact on transport
F: Procurement and regional economy

These studies cover all subject areas that were considered appropriate at the time the in-depth investigation concept was developed. To date, a preliminary study on topic area A and two studies on topic area F have been conducted and published.

As it cannot be ruled out that new issues may arise in the course of stage 3, additional studies and investigations not provided for in the concept are also conceivable as part of the in-depth investigation.

Effects of a deep geological repository on property prices

Fears are often expressed that a deep geological repository could cause property prices in the siting region to fall. The SFOE is therefore keeping an eye on the property market in its monitoring of the economy and society in the siting regions. So far, no negative effects have been identified.

It is currently impossible to precisely quantify the effects of a deep geological repository on property and land prices. However, a study in 2011 came to the conclusion that after the deep geological repository goes into operation, at most only minor losses in value could occur at sites with direct visibility of the surface infrastructure. Due to the location of the Haberstal site in the commune of Stadel and the Zwilag site in the commune of Würenlingen and the surrounding topography, it is therefore unlikely that a large-scale, substantial devaluation of properties will occur as a result of the deep geological repository.

Similar conclusions were reached by two studies on current developments in the commune of Stadel and in the Zurich Unterland region, which were commissioned by the Canton of Zurich immediately after the site selection was announced and one year later.

Documents

• Sachplan geologische Tiefenlager: Monitoring Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 2024. Monitoringbericht
  (PDF, 4 MB, 17.06.2025) ID: 12163 | 880
• Sachplan geologisches Tiefenlager: Monitoring Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 2024. Befragungsbericht Region Nördlich Lägern / Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 8.1 MB, 17.06.2025) ID: 12166 | 880
• Sachplan geologisches Tiefenlager: Monitoring Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 2024. Befragungsbericht Region Jura Ost / Verpackungsanlage
  (PDF, 7.3 MB, 17.06.2025) ID: 12167 | 880
• Studien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft sowie Monitoring im Sachplan geologische Tiefenlager. Übersichts- und Steuerungsdokument
  (PDF, 1.4 MB, 20.11.2024) ID: 8642 | 880
• Immobilienpreise im Kontext des geplanten Tiefenlagers Nördlich Lägern. Faktenblatt
  (PDF, 845 KB, 27.09.2022) ID: 11105 | 880

Display more publications ID: 880

• Vertiefte Untersuchung «Organisationsstruktur für Regionalentwicklung». Sachplan geologische Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 3.2 MB, 01.06.2022) ID: 10953 | 880
• Vertiefte Untersuchung «Beschaffungswesen und Regionalwirtschaft». Sachplan geologische Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 2.8 MB, 01.12.2020) ID: 10407 | 880
• Gewässerschutz und nukleare Sicherheit bei Oberflächeninfrastrukturen für geologische Tiefenlager. Bundesargumentarium
  (PDF, 329 KB, 30.10.2019) ID: 9863 | 880
• Vertiefte Untersuchung "Wohnstandort und Wirtschaft": Methodische Vorstudie im Rahmen des Standortauswahlverfahrens für geologische Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 1.1 MB, 29.11.2018) ID: 9597 | 880
• Monitoringkonzept. Konzept für das Monitoring der wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen geologischer Tiefenlager und des Standortauswahlverfahrens im Rahmen des Sachplans geologische Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 1.2 MB, 16.12.2016) ID: 8614 | 880
• Konzept VU. Konzept für die "Vertieften Untersuchungen (VU)" in Etappe 3 des Standortauswahlverfahrens für geologische Tiefenlager
  (PDF, 870 KB, 28.11.2016) ID: 8615 | 880
• Wirkungen von geologischen Tiefenlagern für radioaktive Abfälle auf die regionalen Immobilienmärkte
  (PDF, 2.5 MB, 16.09.2011) ID: 6088 | 880

Links

Kanton Zürich: Entwicklung des Immobilienmarktes in Nördlich Lägern

Ausschuss der Kantone

Nagra Technischer Bericht 13-01: Standortunabhängige Betrachtungen zur Sicherheit und zum Schutz des Grundwassers

Last modification 18.06.2025