Shaft Konrad - Controversial nuclear waste repository can continue to be built
The controversial nuclear waste repository Schacht Konrad in Salzgitter can continue to be built for the time being. The applications to withdraw or revoke the plans and the demand to stop further construction work have been rejected for the time being. This was announced by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment in Hanover on Tuesday. It was the result of a purely legal examination, said Minister Christian Meyer. "This does not change our critical stance on the repository," said the Green politician.
An alliance had filed an application in 2021 to revoke or withdraw the planning approval decision. The critics complained that the planned repository did not meet current scientific and technical requirements. Important aspects such as retrievability and long-term safety had not been taken into account or had not been considered at all. Critics include the nature conservation organizations Nabu and BUND, the city of Salzgitter, the IG Metall trade union and the state farmers' association Landvolk.
Schacht Konrad is a disused iron ore mine in which up to 303,000 cubic meters of low and medium-level radioactive waste is to be stored. It is the first final repository for this waste to be approved under nuclear law in Germany.
State Environment Minister Meyer pointed out that a further repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is needed, particularly in view of the retrieval of waste from the Asse nuclear waste repository, which is full of water, and in view of waste from the dismantling of nuclear power plants.
Following the provisional decision, the applicants can now submit a statement within an eight-week hearing period, according to the ministry. The decision opens up the legal process. The alliance of critics expressed their disappointment and announced that they would examine further legal steps.
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- The decision to allow the construction of the nuclear waste repository at Shaft Konrad in Salzgitter, rejected previous appeals for revocation, has sparked opposition from various associations, including Nabu, BUND, the city of Salzgitter, IG Metall, and Landvolk.
- Despite the ongoing construction, Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Christian Meyer maintained a critical stance on the repository, stating that it does not meet current scientific and technical requirements.
- The BMU (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety) supported the continuation of the Shaft Konrad project, citing the necessity of a secondary repository for low- and medium-level nuclear waste, especially considering the Asse nuclear waste repository's imminent waterlogging and the need for disposal from dismantled power plants.
- The critics contend that the proposed repository lacks satisfactory measures for waste retrievability and long-term safety, issues that should have been addressed in the planning phases but were not adequately considered.
- After the ministry's announcement, the alliance of critics have expressed their disappointment and are considering further legal actions, committed to pressing for changes in the repository's design and implementation.
- The government and proponents of the nuclear industry, such as influential associations and Salzgitter's city administration, counter that the repository represents an essential step towards addressing Germany's nuclear waste management challenges and reducing environmental pollution.
Source: www.stern.de
