JÁCHYMOV – gateway to the Ore Mountains

Radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel are an inseparable part of modern nuclear energy. However, few people realise that specialised repositories have existed in the Czech Republic for decades and that some of them were established in former mines with remarkably interesting histories. From the underground tunnels near Litoměřice and the former uranium mine in Jáchymov to the extensive facilities in Dukovany and Temelín, each of these sites represents a unique chapter in the Czech nuclear programme and the technological development of the second half of the twentieth century.

This facility has long been regarded as one of the most modern and highly rated radioactive waste disposal facilities in the world and is regularly evaluated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Most people imagine radioactive waste as something distant, hidden deep behind the fences of nuclear power plants. Yet one of the most important repositories in the Czech Republic is located in a former limestone mine near Litoměřice, and its history reaches back to the nineteenth century. During its existence, the underground Richard complex witnessed limestone mining, Nazi wartime production, and its eventual transformation into a modern facility for the storage of radioactive waste.

Few places in the Czech Republic are as closely connected with the history of uranium as the Jáchymov region. It was here, in a landscape shaped by centuries of mining, that one of the Czech Republic’s radioactive waste repositories was established. The underground workings of the former Bratrství Mine now serve for the storage of specific radioactive materials while also reminding visitors of the dramatic history of the Jáchymov uranium mines and the political repression of the 1950s.

Just a few hundred metres from the cooling towers of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant lies a place that most visitors to the facility barely notice. It was here, during the 1990s, that one of the largest radioactive waste repositories in the Czech Republic was built. This inconspicuous site conceals a system of reinforced-concrete chambers designed for the storage of materials generated during the operation of the nuclear power plant and represents an important part of the Czech nuclear energy sector.

Few technical facilities in the Czech Republic raise as many questions as spent nuclear fuel storage sites. At the beginning of the 21st century, a modern storage facility was built within the grounds of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant to provide long-term storage for fuel used in the reactors. Although it is often referred to as “nuclear waste,” it is in fact a technologically highly valuable material that is expected to remain important in the future.

Spent nuclear fuel is among the most widely debated issues in modern energy production. While low-level radioactive waste can be stored in conventional repositories, materials originating from nuclear power plants remain radioactive for very long periods of time. For this reason, the Czech Republic has been preparing for many years to construct a deep geological repository that will one day safely store spent nuclear fuel hundreds of metres below the Earth's surface. The project, often described as one of the largest technical undertakings of the future, also gives rise to considerable controversy, public concern, and opposition from residents of the proposed locations.