“Radioactive waste is a real problem that we cannot ignore. Just as we teach children to sort their trash, we must also deal with nuclear waste responsibly,” Dohnálková says in the podcast. Nuclear power plants produce materials that remain hazardous for a very long time—and that is precisely why, according to her, we must rely on a scientific solution that was developed fifty years ago and has so far been implemented only in Finland: a deep geological repository.
The Key to Safety
The new episode explains the principle of a deep geological repository, which stores spent nuclear fuel 500 meters underground in a stable rock mass. A combination of engineered barriers and the natural properties of the environment is designed to ensure the waste remains isolated for a million years.
Such a repository is expected to remain in operation for 120 years, after which it will be filled with bentonite or gravel and sealed. This will be followed by a monitoring period lasting approximately 300 years before it is completely abandoned. “The trick is that a deep geological repository is designed to be safe passively, that is, without human intervention,” adds Dohnálková.
In addition to deep geological repositories, alternatives such as disposal in subduction zones, under glaciers, or in deep boreholes are also being considered around the world. However, according to the expert, these are not suitable for the Czech Republic—primarily due to the volume of waste the country plans to produce, including with the development of new nuclear power sources such as small modular reactors.
In addition to these solutions, speculation about more outlandish approaches—such as launching waste into space—has emerged in the public debate. “We don’t want to rely on chance. Rockets aren’t 100% reliable—we can’t risk dangerous material returning to Earth. That’s why it makes sense to store the waste in a controlled manner in an environment we’ve been studying for decades,” explains Dohnálková.
The Czech Approach: Taking Responsibility
There are currently three repositories for low- and intermediate-level waste in the Czech Republic—for example, next to the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant or in the former Bratrství uranium mine near Jáchymov. The oldest repository, Richard near Litoměřice, where waste from healthcare and industry is stored, celebrated sixty years of safe operation. Spent nuclear fuel is currently stored in interim storage facilities directly at the power plants.
