The nuclear phase-out is not the end of the story. There is still no place to store the highly radioactive waste that has accumulated over the decades. The search could take a very long time.
According to a report by the Freiburg-based Öko-Institut, the search for a final storage facility for highly radioactive nuclear waste in Germany could take more than 40 years longer than originally planned. Deutschlandfunk was the first to report on the paper on behalf of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE). Under ideal conditions, a decision on a location is not expected until 2074 at the earliest, it says.
Ministry: Delay not new
The Federal Environment Ministry announced in Berlin that the search for a final storage site is a “science-based, transparent and learning process, the aim of which is to find the site that guarantees the best possible safety for a period of one million years.” It has been known for some time that this process cannot be completed by 2031.
In November 2022, the ministry announced that the original schedule until 2031 would not be met. A short time later, documents from the Federal Agency for Final Storage (BGE) became public, according to which the search could drag on until 2046 or, in another scenario, even until 2068. When asked, a ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on specific time frames.
The search for a final storage facility involves finding a location deep underground for the permanent storage of 27,000 cubic meters of highly radioactive waste (1,750 so-called Castor containers) from more than 60 years of nuclear power in Germany. According to BASE, this is five percent of the radioactive waste in Germany, but it contains around 99 percent of the total radioactivity of all waste. The waste is currently stored in 16 above-ground interim storage facilities in various federal states.
Complicated search
The search is complicated. Nobody wants a repository near them, and a location must be found that will be safe for a million years. A site selection law has therefore established a multi-stage, long-term search process with public participation.
According to BASE, the starting point is a “white map” that includes all federal states. In addition to the rock layers, the search also takes into account the risk of earthquakes. The law stipulates that a decision on the location is to be made in 2031. The repository should be operational from 2050.
Source: Stern
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