Berlin, December 22 – Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is determined to significantly expedite the search for a permanent repository for Germany’s nuclear waste. “We are now in 2025, and I would really like us to aim for 2050 again,” the SPD politician told the German Press Agency in Berlin, emphasizing that the process should move “as quickly as possible.”
Accelerating the Search: A Race Against Time
In August of last year, a report by the Freiburg Öko-Institut concluded that, even under ideal conditions, the search could extend until 2074. This study was commissioned by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE). In response to the study, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, then under the leadership of Green Party politician Steffi Lemke, stated that a repository could still be found by 2050. Previously, the target year was even set for 2031.
Billions at Stake: Schneider’s Urgent Call
Schneider stressed the urgency of the matter, stating, “It is unacceptable that the generation after next would only begin with the storage.” He added that he himself would very likely no longer be alive by then. “I will pull this acceleration option. I hope that Parliament will then follow me.” The search also costs “an incredible amount of money,” amounting to billions. The current search has been ongoing since 2017.
Although Germany shut down its last nuclear reactors in April 2023, a repository still needs to be found for approximately 27,000 cubic meters of highly radioactive nuclear waste accumulated over more than 60 years of nuclear power. The chosen site must offer safety for one million years.
Interim Storage and Potential for Streamlining
Currently, the waste is stored in sixteen above-ground interim storage facilities across various federal states. Schneider clarified that these facilities are not intended as permanent repositories, yet people in those areas are forced to live with them. “I simply want to shorten that and get to a truly safe, permanent repository.”
One potential way to accelerate the process, according to Schneider, is to forgo exploratory mines. Iris Graffunder, Chairwoman of the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE), has also suggested this possibility. Instead, the subsurface could be examined from the surface using modern methods.
Progress and Future Milestones
The BGE continues to narrow down the potential areas for a repository, with 25 percent of the country still under consideration as of November. By mid-next year, the BGE plans to present a further interim report, and by the end of 2027, it aims to propose specific site regions for above-ground exploration.
This proposal will then be reviewed by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), which involves both scientific experts and the public. The final decision on the eligible regions will ultimately be made by the Bundestag. The current target date for the decision on a final repository is 2050.
Source: https://www.radiowestfalica.de/nachrichten/news-aus-nrw-und-der-welt/berlin-schneider-will-tempo-bei-atommuell-endlagersuche.html
