Located near the town of Jáchymov in the foothills of the Krušné (Ore) Mountains
The Bratrství nuclear waste repository, located near the town of Jáchymov, was constructed in part of the abandoned underground complex of the Bratrství former uranium mine. The repository spaces are situated in the vicinity of the former main mining tunnel, which, together with 5 adjacent chambers, was adapted in 1974 to host the radioactive waste repository.
Only low- and intermediate-level waste containing exclusively natural radionuclides is disposed of at the Bratrství repository. The disposal of waste required the technical modification of both the main mining tunnel and the walls and ceilings of the chambers. Parts of the repository have been reinforced with concrete in addition to steel reinforcement beams in parts of the ceilings. The concreted floors have been fitted with a drainage system and a central retention sump.
The Bratrství repository has a capacity of 5,555 drums of low- and intermediate-level waste containing natural radionuclides.
The 385 m long main mining tunnel serves as the transport corridor for the waste packages. The adjacent chambers are filled in such a way that access to the other repository spaces and the technological equipment is not restricted. The waste packages are disposed of in layers. The total repository capacity is approximately 1,200 m3, allowing for the emplacement of 5,555 waste drums. Once filled with waste drums, the chamber entrances will be sealed, and the chambers will be stabilised with a backfill material.
The repository ventilation system is artificial and is powered by a fan positioned at the mouth of the access tunnel. The ventilation system is in operation only when repository personnel are present in the facility. Otherwise, air flows naturally, depending on the time of year, either out of the mine workings (breathable air in the summer) or into the mine complex (breathable air in the winter).
As part of the radiation monitoring programme, we strictly adhere to the relevant decrees issued by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. In addition, we also monitor the stability of the rock mass and its surroundings and the quality and composition of the groundwater both inside and outside the repository. The results of the detailed measurements recorded to date and the geotechnical documentation compiled on the state of the walls of the repository confirm the stability of the mine workings. The Regional Mining Office in Sokolov also supervises the operation of the Bratrství repository.
We carefully observe and monitor everything that happens inside the repository and ensure that it does not negatively impact its surroundings in any way.
We regularly monitor the radiation situation at the repository via regular dosimetric measurement campaigns, which are performed according to the requirements of the monitoring programme approved by the State Office for Nuclear Safety. In addition, inspections are performed on a regular basis of the working conditions in the repository and the effectiveness of the ventilation of the mine workings. Inspections include the measurement of the equivalent dose rate of radon and the volume activity of a mixture of long-lived radionuclides that emit uranium-radium series radiation. One of our main priorities concerns the careful monitoring of persons who enter the repository.
In order to cover all the potential risks associated with the disposal of radioactive waste, we regularly take samples of the water that flows from the mine premises and the surrounding surface water for the determination of the volume activity of the disposed of natural radionuclides. Due to the naturally elevated content of natural radionuclides in the local environment due to previous mining activities, the measured values are higher than the usual natural background values recorded in other parts of the Czech Republic. Notwithstanding, the set limits have never been exceeded at the repository.
The monitoring results recorded to date clearly indicate that the operation of the Bratrství radioactive waste repository is in full compliance with all the safety limits set by the State Office for Nuclear Safety, and that the repository does not exert a negative impact on the surrounding environment or persons who enter the repository.
The intensive development of mining activities in the Jáchymov area dates back to the 16th century, at the beginning of which the town was established. The Bratrství mine, formerly known as the Mine of the Saxon Nobility, was just one of a number of silver mines that were established in the vicinity of Jáchymov. It is interesting that part of the mine complex is named the “blind” Zdař Bůh mining pit. Why blind? Because it did not reach the surface – the mining tower with the machine room was situated underground and only a horizontal tunnel led to the surface, which was used to transport the mined ore.
The mining of silver was replaced in the late 19th century by the mining of uranium ore. Subsequently, Jáchymov was the town in which Marie Curie Sklodowská discovered the elements radium and polonium in waste produced by a local uranium paint factory. Later, Marie Curie, together with scientist André-Louis Debierne, devised a method for the production of radium salts (RaCl2, radium chloride) from heaps of leached waste. At the beginning of the 20th century, the production of these salts was expanded, which led to the development of the spa facilities in the Jáchymov district in the 1930s; the radioactive baths still attract visitors to this day.
From the end of World War II, uranium was mined in the Bratrství and other local mines under dreadful conditions. Two labour camps codenamed M and D were established in the area for convicted war criminals and collaborators, as well as political and other prisoners. Prisoners from both camps worked together with civilian employees at the Bratrství mine until 1954, when both camps were permanently closed. During this time, thousands of tons of uranium were exported from the area to the Soviet Union.
Part of the main mining tunnel was modified in 1974 for use as a radioactive waste repository, the operation of which continues to this day.
In 2021, SÚRAO commissioned the establishment of a memorial to honour the memory of the prisoners who were forced to work in the Bratrství mine under inhumane conditions in cooperation with the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. At the unveiling of the memorial, František Radkovský, Bishop Emeritus of Pilsen, offered this prayer:
Merciful Lord, we meet at this place to remember the suffering of so many innocent people, who were imprisoned and forced to work under inhumane conditions in the uranium mines in the area. People who strived for freedom, truth and justice, for which they were arrested and unjustly imprisoned. Please be merciful to all these victims who suffered injustice during the cruel communist regime. It is partly thanks to the suffering they endured that we live our lives today in freedom and comfort.
We pray for those who imprisoned them, forced them to work under such conditions and treated them in such a cruel manner. If they are still alive, let them realise the horror of their acts and encourage them to repent. We pray that similar violence never be repeated in our country or anywhere else in the world.
Please Dear Lord, grant that all who come here and read this memorial plaque understand the cruelty of unjust violence, remember all the victims and their suffering, and influenced by this awareness, strive for justice, mutual understanding, forgiveness and the peaceful resolution of misunderstandings and conflict.
We pray for this through Your Son Jesus Christ in unity with the Holy Spirit, Amen.
