When will the repository be constructed?
Construction of the project of the century is foreseen to start in the mid-2030s. Before this can happen, the general licences must be granted. The decision on this is expected in 2031. Only then can the construction licence application be submitted.
Timetable
With the general licence application, Nagra has put its cards, or rather facts, on the table. These will allow Switzerland to make its fundamental decision on the Terradura repository.
The Federal Council will decide on the general licence and then submit its decision to the Swiss Parliament for approval. If a referendum is called for, Swiss voters will have the final say – around 2031.
The general licences secure the sites for the deep geological repository and the encapsulation plant. Nagra will then submit the construction licence application for Terradura in the early 2030s. If Switzerland gives the green light, construction of the deep geological repository can begin. Emplacement of the first radioactive waste is foreseen from around 2050.
Siting proposal
Nördlich Lägern is the site with the largest safety reserves. This is how Nagra communicates its siting proposal in September 2022. In this area of the Zürcher Unterland (the northern part of Canton Zürich), the underground rock formations can best contain the waste.
Submission of general licence applications
Nagra provides a detailed and scientifically sound justification for its site selection in the application documentation. The application also defines the framework for the Terradura project of the century. The documents are published on www.drbg.ch in June 2025 – three years earlier than required by law. Since then, all interested parties can form their own opinions on the project.
Decision on Terradura
General licence granted? This fundamental decision will determine whether Switzerland intends to dispose of its radioactive waste in a deep geological repository at the Stadel site in the Zürcher Unterland region.
Initial construction work
According to current planning, initial construction work is scheduled to start in around ten years. Emplacement of the first radioactive waste is foreseen from 2050.
The Terradura repository – a project of the century
We want to solve the issue of radioactive waste now rather than passing the burden on to future generations. That is our mission. We take pride in the work we have done over the past years and decades. We are honoured to play a key role in driving forward the Terradura project of the century, thus helping to keep Switzerland safe far into the distant future.
We have laid a solid scientific foundation: we have a safe disposal concept, an ideal host rock and a suitable repository site. Whether our work and our siting proposal are sufficiently convincing will be judged by the Federal Council, Parliament and, in case of an optional referendum, by the Swiss electorate. Nagra thus makes the proposals, but politicians and society make the decisions.
At the same time, we are well aware that the deep geological repository will be constructed in a region where people live and work. Even though the purpose of deep geological disposal is to protect humans and the environment, no one wants a repository in their own community. Our proposal directly affects the siting communities and Cantons Zürich and Aargau. This can raise questions and concerns, anger and fear. We want to use the years leading up to the start of construction work to further develop the project in collaboration with the regions and the cantons.
Where will Terradura be built?
The access to the repository is to be constructed in the community of Stadel in the Zürcher Unterland (the northern part of Canton Zürich). The site selection was preceded by an intensive search led by the federal government. Safety was and always will be our top priority. The geological conditions underground play a decisive role in this, and they have been investigated in great detail. Political considerations played no role in the site selection process.
