Janoch is an exploratory area in the České Budějovice region, one of four sites that the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) is assessing for a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. The repository is to be built in Czechia by 2050. [1] The other shortlisted sites are Březový potok, Hrádek and Horka in the Třebíč region. [1]
Exploration
This June SÚRAO began hydrogeological drilling at the four sites. SÚRAO director Lukáš Vondrovic said at the time that it was an important milestone in choosing the final and the reserve site, because the boreholes allow a direct look underground for the first time. The number of boreholes at each site depends on natural conditions. [1]
Court dispute of the municipality of Temelín
The municipality of Temelín went to court against the delimitation of the Janoch exploratory area. It argued that the boreholes could affect surface and groundwater, for example the Hněvkovice water reservoir, and that the protection of waters is not sufficiently ensured. The Municipal Court in Prague dismissed its lawsuit, and on 19 October 2026 the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic also dismissed its cassation complaint. [1][2]
The Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic stated that at this stage the court is deciding only on the possibility of carrying out a geological survey, not on the location or approval of a repository. According to the judgment, the decision on the exploratory area does not authorise the construction or operation of a repository and does not determine the main or the reserve site. The court said the administrative authorities had taken the risks to waters into account and had set a condition that the exploratory work must not disturb the water regime of the area or cause pollutants to leak into waters. The municipality may raise its objections in later phases. [1][2]
The court recently ruled similarly on the complaint of the municipality of Chanovice concerning the Březový potok area, and in July on the complaint of the municipality of Dolní Cerekev concerning the Hrádek area. [1]
Chronology
- — The Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic dismissed the cassation complaint of the municipality of Temelín in the South Bohemian Region against the delimitation of the Janoch exploratory area, one of four sites being assessed for a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel, and upheld the judgment of the Municipal Court in Prague. Ekolist.cz Deník: České Budějovice / Jižní Čechy
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Sources
- Ekolist.cz — 20 October 2026
- Deník: České Budějovice / Jižní Čechy