What was your personal highlight of 2024?
Matthias Braun: The submission of our two general licence applications in November. And not just that: the quality of the documentation was high and we delivered it on time. We achieved this only two years after our last major milestone, when we announced the site for the deep geological repository in September 2022. This was a major effort by everyone working at Nagra. I take my hat off to them all.
Lino Guzzella: So do I. I was also impressed by how professionally, persistently and productively this important project is being pursued. And all of this without great fanfare. This perseverance is what defines
the quality of an organisation. If you are going to run a marathon, these are the qualities to have.
Braun: Yes – along with the ability to deliver a sprint when the need arises. I sense an eagerness here at Nagra to make these efforts for the sake of this cross-generational project.
What significance do the two applications have for the local communities, for the siting region and for Switzerland?
Braun: We have now set a framework, with which we commit to where and how we eventually intend to realise the project. Within this framework, we are now developing the project towards a specific construction project. Moving beyond this and onto a political level, by granting the general licences for the deep geological repository in Nördlich Lägern and the encapsulation plant in Würenlingen, Switzerland’s voters will have expressed their endorsement for our project. This democratic legitimisation of our project is very important to us.
Guzzella: With the submission of the general licence applications, we are taking a major step into the decisive licensing phase. This formal phase comes with deadlines, for example, for the ongoing review of our application documentation.
The existing repository concept is to become a construction project. What is the difference between these two?
Braun: To date, our main task was to identify the safest site for the deep geological repository, at all times ensuring the protection of humans and the environment in accordance with legal requirements and with the dose limits stipulated in the guidelines of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, ENSI. By explaining what makes Nördlich Lägern the most suitable site and outlining our repository concept in the general licence applications, we demonstrate that we have resolved these requirements. The next step is to develop the generic repository concept into a specific construction project, which means tailoring the project to the selected site and its unique conditions. This also includes ensuring that the construction project has minimal impact on the landscape and the subsurface. In this context, it is important to note that the submitted general licence applications do not specify in detail how the deep geological repository will be constructed. We have not yet determined the exact thickness of a concrete layer or the length of each electrical cable. Metaphorically speaking, we have given the project a frame and only now do we
start painting the picture. The protection of humans and the environment will always be our top priority. Nothing will ever change that.
Nagra says it welcomes a broad societal debate. What is the benefit of that?
Guzzella: National politicians have not yet given much thought to the repository project. With the submission of the applications and once the experts have completed their peer review, these politicians will have to take a position. This makes the debate more concrete, more realistic and more wide-reaching.
Braun: I am looking forward to this debate. The documentation for the general licence applications provides us with a tangible foundation for constructive discussion.
Project of the century on track
Today the representatives of the Cooperative approved both the annual report and the annual financial statements for 2024 and discharged the Board of Directors.
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Once the discussion reaches the national level: do the local communities risk playing second fiddle?
Braun: We expect the project to be discussed at a national level. However, implementation and development will take place on site, which means that the main impact will be felt by the local residents. Their concerns include, for example, access roads, privacy protection, noise pollution, lorry journeys, excavated material and spatial development in the broader and narrower sense. These topics might not be of national interest, but they are of great local interest. That is why we are also in close dialogue with the siting communities of Stadel and Würenlingen.
Guzzella: These two communities are key partners for the further development of the project. We will take their concerns into account as far as possible during implementation. We want to minimise the additional
burden they have to bear on behalf of the nation. In principle, we take all local concerns and issues seriously. And we never lose sight of our top priority: the safety of the repository for humans and the environment.
Braun: At the same time, the referendum on the deep geological repository will be a national one. We are basically asking Switzerland whether it wants to solve the issue of radioactive waste disposal. The better we develop the repository project on site, the better it will be received nationally.
Re-entry into nuclear power or transmutation of radioactive waste: how do such debates impact Nagra’s work?
Guzzella: They don’t. Whether or not Switzerland opts for new nuclear power plants or transmutation: a deep geological repository will be needed regardless. As we have communicated repeatedly, this discussion will have no impact on our legal mandate. We have also stated that it is not up to us to decide on new power plants. This issue must be resolved at a national level.
What else did Nagra achieve in 2024?
Braun: We worked on multiple projects in 2024 that provide us with important data for project development. They include, for example, experiments in the underground research laboratories or collaboration with several universities and other research institutes. With the project development now underway, we also had to realign our organisation. Nagra has welcomed new employees to its organisation, and several of our existing employees will be given new responsibilities. We are adapting and evolving.
Guzzella: The Board of Directors has also welcomed new members, and they have settled in successfully. Overall, collaboration is proceeding very well.
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