Operator: additional costs for nuclear waste storage possible
According to new calculations, the controversial nuclear waste repository Schacht Konrad in Salzgitter will be more expensive than planned. The Federal Company for Final Disposal (BGE) assumes that a further 2.64 billion euros will be needed until completion, as the German Press Agency has learned from company circles. According to the BGE, around 2.83 billion euros had already been spent on the construction phase by the end of 2022, meaning that the new estimate is around 5.5 billion euros.
Previously, the Peine-based company had estimated the total costs at 4.6 billion euros. The revised version now includes significantly higher costs due to inflation and supply problems for materials and components. In the middle of the year, BGE had already announced that the plan for completion by 2027 could no longer be achieved because the work would be around two years behind schedule.
The Konrad mine 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. Critics are calling for a reassessment of the project in line with current safety requirements and for construction of the repository to be halted immediately. A decision on this could be made this year.
The increase in costs for nuclear waste storage at Schacht Konrad could potentially lead to changes in the country's environmental policy regarding nuclear waste disposal. Despite the challenges in atomic mining, such as inflation and material shortages, the Atomwirtschaftsliches Untersuchungsamt (Atomic Energy Research Office) is still advocating for the expansion of nuclear power in Germany, citing it as a low-carbon energy source.
Source: www.dpa.com
