Environment Minister Lemke: Time is of the essence for the search for a repository
According to Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, the time factor must also be kept in mind in the search for a final repository for highly radioactive waste. "We must not simply accept the long - too long - periods of time until the highly hazardous waste is stored as safely as possible. After all, the time factor is also a safety factor," said the Green politician on Friday at the opening of the Second Forum on the Search for a Final Repository in Halle. As time goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to make a reliable decision and implement it with the support of the public.
The forum sees itself as the central venue for discussions on the selection of a site for the final repository for highly radioactive waste in Germany. It is organized by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Disposal and the Federal Company for Final Storage.
Lemke said that only a deep repository would offer future generations the best possible safety under all conceivable circumstances. Anyone who denied this would not be doing justice to the responsibility of younger and future generations. As it will also become more difficult to find a final storage facility as the amount of nuclear waste grows, it was right to stick to the nuclear phase-out in Germany.
The promise is currently circulating in debates that the "currently most dangerous legacy of human civilization" can be rendered harmless or used for energy without a deep geological repository, said Lemke. "This idea is as obviously false as it is misleading. It should be confronted head-on."
At the end of 2027, the federal company intends to propose regions to be explored to determine whether they are suitable as a site for a repository. "For a repository, however, we need an uneventful geology without any particular mineral resources," said Lemke. By identifying potential sites, 54 percent of the federal territory could be excluded. However, this also requires an honest approach to knowledge gaps: "We cannot explore half of Germany," said Lemke. Otherwise, approval for the procedure would also be at risk.
Determining the site for the final repository alone could become a generational project, explained the Federal Company for Final Disposal before the event. The question of what this means for interim storage is also to be discussed in working groups. In addition, possibilities are to be sought to make the process of finding a site more efficient.
The search for a suitable nuclear waste repository in Germany should consider the time factor, as the longer the wait, the harder it becomes to make a reliable decision with public support. Accordingly, it's important to prioritize the establishment of a deep geological repository, as stated by Federal Environment Minister Lemke, as it offers the best safety for future generations against highly radioactive waste.
Source: www.dpa.com
