The Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic dismissed the cassation complaint of the municipality of Temelín against the delimitation of the Janoch exploration area, one of four sites for a deep repository.
The Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic (NSS) dismissed the cassation complaint of the municipality of Temelín in the České Budějovice area against the delimitation of the exploration area Janoch. Janoch is one of four sites being assessed for a deep repository of spent nuclear fuel. The NSS thereby upheld the ruling of the Municipal Court in Prague, which had dismissed the municipality's action. The decision was reported on 20 October 2026 by Ekolist.cz and Deník.[1][2]
The court stated that at this stage only the possibility of carrying out a geological survey is being decided, not the location or permitting of a repository. The ruling of the panel chaired by Radovan Havelec states that the decision on the Janoch exploration area does not authorise the construction or operation of a repository and does not designate a main or reserve site. The results of the survey may also lead to the site being excluded, and the municipality can raise its objections in later phases.[1][2]
The municipality argued that boreholes at Janoch may affect surface and underground waters, for example the Hněvkovice Reservoir, and that the protection of waters is not ensured. According to the NSS, the administrative bodies took these risks into account and set a binding condition that the exploration work must not disrupt the water regime of the area or cause the escape of polluting substances into waters.[1][2]
The NSS also dismissed the complaint of the municipality of Chanovice in the Klatovy area concerning the Březový potok area, and in July 2026 the complaint of Dolní Cerekev in the Jihlava area concerning the Hrádek area. The fourth site is Horka in the Třebíč area. The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) began exploratory boreholes at all four sites in 2026 and the local governments turned to the courts everywhere, so far without success. A deep repository is to be built in Czechia by 2050.[1][2]
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 exploration area, one of four sites under consideration for a deep repository of spent nuclear fuel, and upheld the ruling of the Municipal Court in Prague. Ekolist.cz Deník: České Budějovice / Jižní Čechy
Sources
- Ekolist.cz — 20 October 2026
- Deník: České Budějovice / Jižní Čechy — 20 October 2026