The Swiss canton of Nidwalden has approved an application to build a test gallery at the Wellenberg low- and intermediate-level radwaste repository site.
The cantonal approval must be ratified by a public referendum, but this will not take place before 2002. The construction licence would be exclusively for an underground test gallery and associated facilities, which would be used to determine the suitability of the site for a repository. If the referendum gives a positive result, a second referendum would be held later on whether or not to grant a construction licence for the repository itself.
