The government hasn't made any decisions regarding the construction of a deep geological repository for nuclear waste, Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Hlas-SD) stated in response to reports about preparations for a deep waste storage facility in the Rimavska Sobota district (Banska Bystrica region), adding that it's also untrue that geological surveys or the construction of such a repository have started.
"At the end of last year, a discussion took place regarding a report on the National Programme for Managing Spent Nuclear Fuel, which is merely an update of the national programme from 2014. This programme builds on various strategic materials from the 1990s, so it is not anything new. The state is not selecting any new locations. The document only mentions locations identified based on geological data from over 30 years ago," said Sakova.
According to the Minister, the previous government initiated the latest update to the programme, and the environmental impact assessment process started under Minister Jan Budaj in 2023. She added that in August 2023 the Banska Bystrica Self-Governing Region confirmed that it didn't require that the list of participants for the public discussion be expanded, recognising, in her view, that the document only updates an old plan to meet EU requirements, not a decision on the construction of a deep repository.
Sakova stated that based on this, the government will form an inter-ministerial working group to develop a strategy for managing nuclear waste in the future.
In mid-January, Banska Bystrica Governor Ondrej Lunter raised concerns about the process of selecting a site for a deep geological repository for nuclear waste. Of the five locations said to be under consideration, four are in Banska Bystrica region. Lunter stated that the government has excluded local authorities from the decision-making process.
Source: TASR
