German nuclear repository search could take much longer
Published: Wednesday, Aug 7th 2024, 14:30
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The search for a final repository for highly radioactive nuclear waste in Germany could take more than 40 years longer than originally planned, according to a report by the Freiburg-based Öko-Institut. Under ideal conditions, a decision on a location could be expected in 2074 at the earliest, according to a paper commissioned by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE).
Ministry: Delay not new
The Federal Ministry for the Environment announced in Berlin that the search for a final repository is a "science-based, transparent and learning process whose requirements are geared towards finding 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 it would not be possible to keep to the original schedule of 2031. Shortly afterwards, documents from the Federal Company for Final Disposal (BGE) became public, according to which the search could continue until 2046 or, in another scenario, even until 2068. A ministry spokesperson declined to comment on specific time frames when asked.
The search for a repository is about finding a place deep underground for the permanent storage of 27,000 cubic meters of highly radioactive waste 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 to have a repository near them and a site should be found that is safe for a million years. A multi-stage, long-term search procedure with public participation was therefore laid down in a site selection law.
At the beginning of the century, around a quarter of Germany's electricity still came from nuclear reactors. The accelerated phase-out began after the reactor accident in Japan in 2011. The last three nuclear power plants were shut down in mid-April 2023.
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