Critics of proposed Swiss nuclear waste site want a referendum

Critics of a nuclear repository call for a national referendum Keystone-SDA

A proposed radioactive waste repository in canton Zurich is facing opposition even before official approval.

It has been known since September 2022 that a nuclear waste repository is to be established in the municipality of Stadel in canton Zurich. The government and parliament will begin decision-making on the repository from 2029 and construction is scheduled to start in 2045.

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However, even before the responsible authority submits the license application next week, resistance is spreading. A committee is demanding that even if parliament approves the repository, the people must also vote on the project.

“A decision with a million-year impact belongs before the people,” the opposition committee proclaimed while launching a national debate at a press conference in Bern on Friday. Such a complex issue requires the approval of the population of the whole of Switzerland, the committee added.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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