Government downplays time constraints in final warehouse search
The nuclear waste repository Asse is dilapidated. A final repository is sought for the contaminated waste. According to a report, the legally defined deadline for the site decision seems to have been exceeded by decades. The Ministry of the Environment and the authorities react calmly.
The site decision for a nuclear waste repository could, according to a report by the Freiburg Oeko-Institut on behalf of the Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal (BASE), fall as early as 2074. This would be 43 years after the legally defined deadline. However, it is stated elsewhere that "ideal conditions" cannot be expected. The search could therefore even take longer.
The responsible Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMUV) of Minister Steffi Lemke and its subordinate authorities are trying to downplay the massive time problems when asked by "Der Spiegel". It is about the "best possible safety for a period of one million years", a spokesman for the ministry replied. It has been known for a long time that it will not be finished by 2031.
The BASE is also not surprised by the year 2074 mentioned in the report. It refers to the BGE (Federal Company for Repository), which already assumed completion of the search between 2046 and 2068 two years ago. The four years more are not that surprising, said a spokesman for BASE. However, it has been calling for the "best-case target date" of 2046 for a long time. To this end, it wants to identify "acceleration potential". However, 2046 is still 15 years later than in the law.
According to BMUV, selected site regions will be proposed at the end of 2027, which will then be considered for further selection. "Especially with the subsequent underground and surface exploration after 2027, significant time can be saved", the spokesman said. However, something really needs to happen now, because otherwise the goal of "prompt disposal of the highly radioactive waste" will not be reached and subsequent generations will be burdened with the task. The ministry has already "demanded optimizations in the ongoing procedure of the site search". It has "initiated discussions". The goal is to make faster progress, "while maintaining the primacy of safety and the necessary public participation".
Even the scientist Miranda Schreurs, co-chair of the National Accompaniment Committee, which mainly consists of researchers, warns of caution. However, she is concerned about the nuclear waste in the interim storage facilities. The permits for the interim storage facilities in Germany will expire in the coming years, she warns. To prevent interim storage from becoming "hidden" final repositories, a solution must be found urgently. This must also be discussed with the public.
The Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung (BGZ) explains that it is already examining the aging effects on containers and their contents. "The goal of these preparations is to ensure the safe operation of the interim storage facilities beyond the currently approved period of 40 years". A spokesman reassures that there have been no disturbances in the past over 30 years "that would have posed a risk to man or the environment".
Even the bumpy publication of the new report is downplayed by the authorities. Only after a query from Deutschlandfunk (DLF), was the BASE forced to put the paper online. According to DLF, the report had been available since February of this year. The BASE responded to Spiegel's query that they had "evaluated it professionally". "It is common practice for these steps to take several months and the publication to follow." The BASE denies, however, that the report was supposed to be published in 2025 - they never mentioned that date.
The search for a suitable location for nuclear waste end-of-life storage beyond the legally defined deadline is a pressing concern. Despite plans to propose potential sites by the end of 2027, the hope is to accelerate the process while maintaining safety and public participation to avoid burdening future generations.
The interim storage facilities for nuclear waste in Germany have expiring permits, prompting the need for a solution to prevent these storage facilities from becoming de facto final repositories, a concern shared by the National Accompaniment Committee.
