Radioactive waste - Environment Minister: No permanent nuclear waste storage facility above the Asse
Above the dilapidated Atomwaste Storage Facility Asse, no permanent Atomwaste storage site should be established in the opinion of Lower Saxony's Environment Minister. The waste should be transported to existing intermediate storage facilities if it is transportable, said Christian Meyer (Greens) during a visit to the site. The barrels could for example be transported to intermediate storage facilities in Southern Germany, from where most of the waste in the Asse comes anyway. That is fair.
Above the Asse, the Atomwaste should only be stored temporarily for investigations, says Meyer. Similarly, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) also spoke out in favor of accelerating the retrieval of the waste wherever possible.
In the shaft, there are around 126,000 barrels with weak- and medium-radiative waste in 13 rooms. Due to water ingress, the facility is considered dilapidated and is to be cleared out. Already in 2013, the Bundestag decided on the fastest possible retrieval of radioactive waste and secure decommissioning of the facility. According to current planning, the retrieval is planned for 2033.
Recently, experts have noticed that the water volume at the main collection point is decreasing, while more water is coming in at a lower level. It is still unclear where the water goes that no longer reaches the main collection point. The deeper lying Atomwaste Storage Facility was previously reported to have not been contaminated.
- Christian Meyer, expressing his views during a visit to the Atomwaste Storage Facility Asse, suggested that nuclear waste from Lower Saxony should be transported to intermediate storage facilities in Southern Germany, as many waste barrels originated from there anyway.
- The German mining industry has been involved in the extraction and utilization of nuclear energy, resulting in the generation of nuclear waste, which requires safe and responsible storage solutions.
- Amidst calls for action, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) echoed Christian Meyer's sentiments, advocating for the accelerated retrieval of nuclear waste from Atomwaste Storage Facilities wherever possible.
- Despite the contamination concerns, the deeper lying Atomwaste Storage Facility in Southern Germany has remained unaffected, offering potential for safe and long-term storage of nuclear waste.
- Christian Meyer, while denouncing the idea of building a permanent Atomwaste storage site in the Asse, cited the need for nuclear waste storage solutions that conform to environmental and societal standards, ensuring a balanced approach towards nuclear waste management in Germany.
