Rösti promises compensation for waste storage (cross-border guide)

Context

In short

• Rösti presents the Lägern Nord depot in Fisibach, over 400 people present
• Deep deposit between AG and ZH in opaline clay, hundreds of meters deep
• Promised compensation; CF decision ~2030, voting ~2030, storage by 2050

• What: Deep repository for radioactive waste (Lägern Nord)
• When: CF decision ~2030, voting ~2030, storage from 2050
• Where: Lägern Nord (north-west Bülach), between cantons Zurich and Aargau
• Who: Federal Councilor Albert Rösti (DETEC), Nagra, over 400 participants
• Document: Nagra applied November 2024

The Fisibach event

Albert Rösti, federal councilor and head of DETEC, appeared in Fisibach (Aargau) to illustrate the project for a deep repository for the safe storage of Swiss radioactive waste in front of over 400 people. The structure should be built in the Lägern Nord area, between the cantons of Zurich and Aargau.

During the meeting, Rösti assured the population of a "transparent, progressive and jointly conducted" approach and announced compensation for the region. He stressed that the safe disposal of radioactive waste is a national responsibility that cannot be delegated to future generations, with safety as the top priority. He also thanked the local population for taking on "an important project for the whole of Switzerland".

The decision-making process towards 2050

The institutional path is complex and extends over several decades. The Federal Council should decide on the final choice of the site around 2030, considering the various objections received during the consultative phase. Subsequently, it will be up to Parliament to give its approval to the project.

…

Operational details

The Lägern Nord site: geology and precise location

The depot is planned to the north-west of Bülach, in the canton of Zurich, in a strategic position between the two cantons involved. The structure will descend hundreds of meters deep within a geological layer of opaline clay, chosen for its natural insulation properties and long-term stability.

The main access to the complex will be located in Stadel, canton of Zurich. However, the waste treatment facilities will not be built directly at the deep repository, but at the already existing intermediate repository in Würenlingen, Aargau. This geographical separation between the access location, the processing space and the deep storage reflects an optimization of logistics and safety processes dictated by national technical needs.

Nagra and the federal administrative process

Responsibility for the entire project falls on the Cooperative Society for the Storage of Radioactive Waste (Nagra). In November 2024, Nagra submitted the official application for the construction of the depot to the Confederation, marking the formal start of the technical, administrative and political evaluation by the federal authorities.

Nagra's application represents the fruit of years of geological research and technical evaluations, culminating in the proposal for a site that combines safety requirements, geological stability and logistical feasibility. Approval by the Confederation (expected around 2030) will not be a formality: the Federal Council will have to assess the technical suitability of the site, the adequacy of the safety plans and the response to the objections raised by local communities and cantonal bodies.

…

Key points

The promised compensations: what will be defined

Rösti has announced compensation for the region affected by the project, but details regarding the amount, how it will be distributed and the specific beneficiaries have not yet been made public. This is a crucial issue for local communities: the presence of a national infrastructure of this kind brings national benefits but also territorial impacts such as land occupation, prolonged construction activities and long-term monitoring.

The compensations represent a recognition of this disparity: the Confederation recognizes that the cantons and municipalities concerned (Aargau and Zurich) support a project of national interest that does not generate immediate local economic benefits. Details on the composition, size and distribution of compensation will need to be negotiated and defined in the years leading up to the federal decision around 2030.

One of Rösti's key commitments was to emphasize the role of local people in decision-making. It guaranteed a "transparent, progressive and conducted together with the population" approach. This means that affected communities will not simply be informed ex post, but will have the opportunity to express concerns, criticisms and proposals during the consultative phases.

In Switzerland, federal decisions of this magnitude follow a principle of direct democracy involving both Parliament and citizens. The popular vote towards 2030 will be the crucial moment in which all Swiss will be able to express their opinion, not just residents of the affected cantons. This opens up broader debates on national responsibility for the nuclear waste cycle and on the fair sharing of infrastructure burdens.

…