Second test castor run to the fuel element storage facility planned
On Wednesday night, an empty Castor container will be used to rehearse the process of possible nuclear waste transports in North Rhine-Westphalia. The heavy transport is to travel from Jülich in the district of Düren to the Ahaus interim storage facility in Münsterland, a good 170 kilometers away, according to the Jülich Nuclear Waste Management Company (JEN). A first trial transport set off on November 7 at night and arrived in Ahaus in the Borken district the next morning without incident.
According to the German Press Agency, the second transport is to take place on Tuesday night. The nuclear supervisory authority and its experts are on site during this official "cold handling". They inspect and evaluate the work processes for handling in the interim storage facilities.
Around 300,000 fuel element spheres from a former test reactor are stored in 152 Castor casks in Jülich. A final decision on their whereabouts has not yet been made. According to a report to the Bundestag Budget Committee in September 2022, the Federal Ministries of Research, Environment and Finance prefer transportation to Ahaus. Remaining in Jülich is the other option. The governing parties in NRW, the CDU and the Greens, have spoken out in favor of this in their 2022 coalition agreement.
The Castor container itself weighs around 25 tons. Due to the safety equipment, the entire transporter weighs around 130 tons in total. As a heavy transporter, it is only allowed on the road at night. According to the Federal Association of Citizens' Initiatives for Environmental Protection, protests are planned.
The second test run using a Castor container for potential nuclear waste transports from Jülich to Ahaus is a rehearsal for nuclear power waste management procedures. Despite the container holding 300,000 fuel element spheres from a former test reactor, no decision has been made on their final destination, with both Ahaus and Jülich being possibilities.
Source: www.dpa.com
