Czech court upholds Březový potok survey for nuclear waste repository

The Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) has dismissed a complaint from the municipality of Chanovice, upholding the decision to establish a survey area at Březový potok. The purpose of this survey is to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel.

This ruling follows a similar decision in July regarding the Hrádek survey area and the municipality of Dolní Cerekve. Local governments in four preliminary candidate locations have challenged the Ministry of the Environment's decisions in court, but have so far been unsuccessful. The court emphasized that the current stage is merely to verify conditions and does not guarantee future construction.

The survey areas were established in 2024 at the request of the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO). The Czech Republic aims to have a deep geological repository operational by 2050, and SÚRAO has already begun exploratory drilling at the selected sites.