Summary

SUMMARY

Nuclear waste management in the Czech Republic has several problems yet to be solved. The government has taken responsibility for the final disposal of waste; the producers of such waste are liable for disposal costs and thus pay fees into a state nuclear account that aims to ensure full funding in the future. The fees paid by waste producers, however, are insufficient to cover all expected post-decommissioning costs.

According to government plans, a deep geological repository for high-level waste should be operating by 2065. The site selection process is behind schedule, however, and opposition from potentially affected communities has grown. A long-promised law on the repository, which would better define the site selection process, is not yet available. Site selection criteria are vague, and therefore there is the real threat of a site being selected based not on long-term safety but on the willingness of a community to tolerate it. The long-term storage of spent fuel is a possibility that has not been debated.

In contrast, low- and intermediate-level waste is comparably well managed. A smaller repository which is practically full is soon to be closed. RAWRA will operate two repositories, the Richard repository for institutional radioactive waste and most importantly, the Dukovany repository for low- and intermediate-level waste from nuclear power plants.