The expansion of the Mont Terri rock laboratory near St-Ursanne has officially begun. In just under two years (by the end of 2019), the research facility will have an additional 600 metres of tunnels and niches for much-needed new experiments.

The rock laboratory needs more space for upcoming research projects

Currently, there are already 50 research projects in the field of deep storage of radioactive waste and CO2 that will continue for the next ten years. Eight of these experiements will be carried out within the next three years. However, before a deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste can be set up in Switzerland by 2060, there are still a number of technical and scientific research questions to be resolved. There is no room for these new and necessary experiments in the present rock laboratory.

Three years ago, swisstopo (Swiss Federal Office of Topography) decided to expand the rock laboratory. In December 2016, the canton of Jura, the location canton, approved the corresponding application. After intensive preparation and coordination with all 19 partners of the Mont Terri project and the developers as well as the Republic and Canton of Jura, Fridolin Wicki, director of swisstopo, broke ground on 12 March 2018 with the opening ceremony for the extension of the Mont Terri rock laboratory in St-Ursanne. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. The 19 national and international project partners will bear the costs for the expansion expected to be around CHF 4.5 million. With the addition of the new tunnels and niches, the Mont Terri project will gain much needed additional experimental space in target formation, the Opalinus Clay. The Mont Terri rock laboratory is used exclusively for research purposes and there will never be storage of radioactive waste in the rock laboratory.