Which steps will follow after the site shortlisting?
Following steps in the process of DGR preparation after the site shortlisting.
1) SÚRAO submits the results of the deep geological repository site assessment process to the SÚRAO Board.
2) The Government of the Czech Republic will subsequently issue a resolution on this proposal.
3) Local working groups will be established and monitoring work will commence at the four recommended sites in due course.
According to a promise made by the Minister of Industry and Trade, geological exploration work will not commence immediately following the selection of the four recommended sites. Such work will commence following the adoption of the planned Act on the Involvement of Municipalities or after 1 January 2023, whichever occurs first. However, the work may commence prior to 1 January 2023 or the adoption of the Act provided consent has been obtained from the municipalities concerned.
Until the adoption of the Act or the end of 2022, the only work that will be conducted at the selected sites will involve maintaining the current state of knowledge at its present level (the monitoring of water, radon, environmental components and seismicity).
4) Following the reduction in the number of sites and the confirmation of the decision by the Government of the Czech Republic, so-called local working groups will be established at all the sites, the membership of which will include representatives of the affected municipalities.
The working groups will address, for example, various aspects of the operation of the deep geological repository at specific sites (for example the location and appearance of the surface area and its optimisation) and the planning of geological exploration and research work, including the resolution of potential conflicts of interest.
5) After 2023 or the adoption of the Act on the Involvement of Municipalities, SÚRAO will submit applications for the determination of exploration areas for special intervention into the earth’s crust at the recommended sites, based on which, and following consultation with the affected municipalities, the relevant geological research and exploration work and other related activities will commence.
6) Based on the results of the detailed geological research work, a final and a backup site will be selected for the construction of the deep geological repository, the commencement of operation of which is planned for 2065.