Nuclear waste: Castor containers reach intermediate storage – silent protest

In contrast to the time of the large anti-atom movement, a train with highly radioactive atomic waste is rolled without incident across Germany to the destination. The seven Castor containers coming from Great Britain reached the intermediate camp in Niederaichbach in the evening. The train passed the goal at 7.10 p.m. This ends another chapter of German nuclear power history. Because: It was the penultimate Castor transport of this kind.

Before the German nuclear phase-out, Castor transports resulted in large-scale operations with tens of thousands of forces. Mass protests and disorders along the route only let the transports progress at walking pace.

These times are over. The journey was trouble-free, spokesman for the Society for Nuclear Service (GNS) and the police said. The train started on Wednesday evening in the port of Nordenham in Lower Saxony. The arrival at the finish line attracted a number of onlookers to the last kilometers who did not miss the spectacle and enormous police force.

The train station in Wörth an der Isar was sealed off, where the person wagons were decoupled, in which police officers had accompanied the journey. Officials were posted on meadows and fields along the tracks so that nobody could approach the castors. The Bundespolizei Berlin’s equestrian squadron patrolled. In total, according to the authorities, several thousand police officers secured transport.

Along the route, opponents of nuclear power organized rallies and vigils, mostly in small groups. Compared to earlier years, it was more of a quiet protest. In unison, however, the opponents of nuclear power make one thing clear: their criticism is not against the withdrawal of the nuclear waste, which originally comes from Germany.

Rather, the protests – formerly as today – are “expression of the rejection of nuclear power as such,” said Helge Bauer, spokesman for the association. After the German nuclear phase -out, the formerly large movement had become smaller. In addition, there are new political issues today, to which people are sensibly committed.

“Many will remember the pictures of the Castor transports to Gorleben and the huge colorful protests from civil society,” said BN state representative Martin Geilhufe. This ended a major social conflict with the means of democracy – the nuclear power plants were switched off.

Nevertheless, “some politicians, especially Prime Minister Söder, tried to make nuclear power socially acceptable again,” said Geilhufe. However, the central problem remains unresolved: “Where to go with the bright garbage?” Castor transport makes it clear that there is no safe disposal. “And that our responsibility does not end with the nuclear phase -out.”

A Greenpeace spokesman spoke of unnecessary driving around nuclear waste. After all, the Castor containers would be brought to an intermediate storage to drive them to a repository one day – and every trip was dangerous. The vigils should be understood as confirmation that the nuclear phase -out was correct.

Faster final bearing search required

The Landtag Greens, ÖDP, the BUND nature conservation and other groups criticized the accommodation of the containers in intermediate camps in particular because they would have to be operated longer than planned – a location for a repository has not yet been found.

The Landtag Greens asked the Bavarian state government to work for more security for the Castorhallen by all means and to promote the final bearing search. “Because the intermediate stores, which were originally planned and approved for only 40 years, will probably be needed at least 80 to 100 years or even longer,” said the energy policy spokesman Martin Stumpfig. This also increased the dangers, for example from terrorist attacks, since weapons have developed significantly in recent years and decades.

Obliged to withdraw the nuclear waste

The nuclear waste is the remains of fuel elements from German nuclear power plants that were processed in England. The Federal Republic of Germany has committed itself to the withdrawal of nuclear waste.

The return of nuclear waste from La Hague ended with the transport of four Castor containers in 2024 to Philippsburg (Baden-Württemberg). Between 1995 and 2011, more than 100 containers were brought to the intermediate camp in Gorleben (Lower Saxony).

Seven more Castor containers, which are temporarily stored in Brokdorf (Schleswig-Holstein), must now be withdrawn from the Sellafield procession system-this also includes the withdrawal of nuclear waste from Great Britain.