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The search for a final repository for nuclear waste has been a controversy for decades. A long-awaited report now shows which German regions are basically eligible for this – the Gorleben Salt Dome is not included.
According to the findings of the Federal Association for Final Storage (BGE), 90 areas in Germany have favorable geological conditions for a nuclear waste disposal facility. The Gorleben Salt Dome in Lower Saxony is not included, as can be seen in the “Sub-areas of the interim report”.
Taking into account the overburden of some areas, according to the report, 54 percent of the land area in Germany is geologically suitable for storage. These so-called sub-areas are found in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony, but also in the eastern federal states of Germany.
Gorleben Salt Dome has geological defects
“German geology is so cheap from north to south and east to west that we can say with conviction that from it one can determine the only place with the best possible safety for the final disposal of highly radioactive waste,” said Stefan Studt. , Managing Director of UBI. A designated subarea today, however, “for a long time” is not a repository site.
The Gorleben Salt Dome had been excluded from the national search for a nuclear deposit due to geological defects, explained Steffen Kanitz of the BGE. “Gorleben is not the best possible location.” Among other things, the salt dome has a non-intact overhead and the chemistry of the water speaks against the location. The decision was made in a purely scientific way, there was no political pressure.
The political debate should get going
In the months and years to come, the potential locations that have now been identified will be phased out taking into account additional criteria, such as population density. However, the debate on the final disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste should begin with the report presented, especially in the areas that are now being examined more closely.
According to the BGE, the deposit will be built underground in salt, clay or crystalline, that is, mainly granite. The location should be in 2031 and containers with radioactive waste should be stored underground from 2050. First, the report lists all regions of Germany “which are expected to have favorable geological conditions for the safe final storage of radioactive waste. “, as stipulated by the relevant law. That is why there are still many areas, sometimes quite large.
It will only get more specific in the next few years. The so-called location regions are selected from the subareas, which are explored with greater precision throughout the days. Some of them will also be explored underground.
The Bavarian state government causes trouble
After many problems with the Gorleben Salt Dome, the search for a repository was completely restarted. Starting with a “white map”, in which initially all locations are possible, the possible locations are now gradually narrowed according to scientific criteria. However, in the end, politicians should make the decision about the location, based on scientific findings. Citizens, communities, and organizations can get involved in the process through various formats.
There had been a dispute over all over Gorleben, who had become a symbol of the anti-nuclear movement. Even before the report was published, some called for the Salt Dome to be removed from the quest for “political burnout.” But the Bavarian state government also caused anger by questioning the search process and insisting that hiding in Bavaria was not appropriate. They both question the principle of the “white map”, which is only gradually reduced on the basis of measurable criteria.
Greens call for a scientific approach
The Greens, among others, whose roots are in the anti-nuclear movement, insist on this principle. “Now is the time for science to do it and it should be left to act alone,” said Deputy Chairman of the Bundestag parliamentary group, Oliver Krischer. In Gorleben’s case, there was primarily a political decision. In the 1970s it was decided to install a repository there. For this reason, “a region almost completely rebelled.”
