Nuclear Energy Ordinance (NEO) (NEO)
English is not an official language of the Swiss Confederation. This translation is provided for information purposes only and has no legal force.
Art. 1 Nuclear materials covered by this Ordinance
1 Nuclear materials are: a. source materials: 1. natural uranium, i.e. uranium with the mixture of isotopes that occurs in nature, 2. depleted uranium, i.e. uranium that has a lower percentage of uranium 235 than natural uranium, 3. thorium, 4. the substances mentioned in numbers 1-3 above in the form of metal, alloys, chemical compounds or concentrates and other materials that contain one or more of the abovementioned substances in a concentration specified by the International Atomic Energy Agency or higher; b. special fissile materials: 1. plutonium 239, 2. uranium 233, 3. uranium 235, 4. enriched uranium, i.e. uranium in which the percentage of uranium 233, uranium 235 or both isotopes together is higher than that of uranium 235 in natural uranium, 5. the substances mentioned in numbers 1-4 above in the form of metal, alloys, chemical compounds or concentrates and other materials that contain one or more of the abovementioned substances in a concentration specified by the Internati
Art. 1 — Amended by Annex 6 No II 2 of the Safeguards Ordinance of 21 March 2012, in force since 1 May 2012 (AS 2012 1703).
Art. 2 Nuclear installations covered by this Ordinance
1 Installations in which the following nuclear materials are obtained, produced, used, processed or stored are not classified as nuclear installations: a. substances that contain a total of not more than 1,000 kg of natural uranium, depleted uranium or thorium; b. source materials for which evidence can be provided that a sustainable chain reaction is not possible due to the chemico-physical condition of the materials and the existing operating conditions; c. special fissile materials that contain a total maximum of 150 grams of plutonium 239, uranium 233 or uranium 235. 1bis Installations outside nuclear installations in which radioactive waste is stored in order to decay in accordance with Article 117 of the Radiological Protection Ordinance of 26 April 2017 (RPO) are also not classified as nuclear installations. 2 The Federal Office of Energy (the Federal Office) shall determine whether source materials meet the requirements within the meaning of paragraph 1 letter b.
Para. 1bis — SR 814.501 Para. 1bis — Inserted by No I of the O of 7 Dec. 2018, in force since 1 Feb. 2019 (AS 2019 183).
Art. 3 Brokerage activities covered by this Ordinance
Activities involving nuclear goods within the meaning of Article 3 letter k of the Nuclear Energy Act are not classified as brokerage activities if the nuclear goods concerned are intended to meet own needs within Switzerland.
Art. 4 Definitions
The definitions in Annex 1 apply.
Art. 5 Sectoral plan for deep geological repositories
The federal government shall specify in a sectoral plan the objectives and criteria for the disposal of radioactive waste in deep geological repositories which are legally binding for the relevant authorities.
Art. 6 Supervisory authorities
The supervisory authorities are: a. the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ( ENSI ) with regard to nuclear safety and security; b. the Federal Office for other areas of enforcement of the NEA.
Art. 6 — Amended by Annex No 12 of the O of 12 Nov. 2008 on the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, in force since 1 Jan. 2009 (AS 2008 5747).
