german disposal system

DBE TEC / IAEA DISPONET Workshop

Peine, September 28-30, 2010 Dr. E. Biurrun

GERMAN CONCEPTS TO

DISPOSE OF NUCLEAR WASTE

THE WAY AHEAD



Contents

I. The Past

Site selection

Site and Technology Development

II. The Present

Site development

Repository Construction

Repository Closure

III.The Way Ahead



Site Selection - Gorleben

In the early 70’ Germany developed a concept for

an Integrated Waste Management Center (NEZ):

A SF reprocessing plant co-located with

An HLW repository

In 1973/1974 NEZ site selection was a major issue

Before it had been decided that all radioactive

waste was to go to deep geological repositories

And heat generating waste was to be disposed of in

a salt formation



In 1973 the Federal Government contracted the

“Kernbrennstoff-Wiederaufbereitungs-Ges.” (KEWA)

to carry out a site selection for the NEZ,

In three phases

Considering all the territory of West Germany

10 candidate areas were identified

Gorleben was excluded because it is in

Lüchow-Dannenberg, a recreation area




The Government of Lower Saxony, the NEZ host state, in

carried out thereafter a site selection of its own

By a project team set up to this aim in 1976

In tree phases

The selection criteria, published in 1977, correspond to

criteria still used today

Leading to four sites being identified for a final selection

Wahn

Lichtenhorst

Gorleben, and

Höfer (Mariaglück)




Lower Saxony’s Government finally selected Gorleben

(December 1976)

The Wahn salt dome was discarded because it is partially located under an army training ground

The Lichtenhorst dome because it is in a priority and reserve area for water supply to Hanover

The Höfer salt dome because it had already been used for mining

On February 22, 1977, the German Federal Government

confirmed Gorleben as the site for the NEZ and for the

repository.




22.02.1977 Site designation Gorleben (Nukleares Entsorgungszentrum/NEZ)

April 1979 Start of surface site characterization

1980/1981 Four deep boreholes (1002 / 1003 / 1004 / 1005)

Mai 1983 Comprehensive suitability statement (PTB)

Sept. 1986 Ground-breaking for Shaft 1

Oct. 1996 Communication between Shaft Gorleben 1 and Gorleben 2 (840-m-Sohle) established:

Thereafter excavation of infrastructure area and characterization of Exploration Area 1

01.10.2000 Site characterization interrupted. Thereafter stand-by operation only

03.03.2010 Germany announces to the IAEA Board of Governors that site exploration will continue

01.10.2010 Politically motivated Moratorium to the exploration of the Gorleben site ends

Site and Technology Development - Milestones



Site and technology Development - Exploration Mine



Site and technology Development – Surface Survey



Site and technology Development – Underground Survey



Gorleben - Underground



Site and Technology Development

Concurrently with site development, the technology for

waste disposal was developed and demonstrated

A pilot conditioning plant was designed and built

Two interim storage facilities for ~ 4000 THM were commissioned

The technology for SF and HLW shaft hoisting to the disposal level was developed and demonstrated

The full underground waste handling and disposal system was developed and tested

In recent times an optimized alternative for HLW and SF borehole disposal was demonstrated (follows)



Site and technology Development – Conditioning Plant



Site and technology Development – Waste Disposal



The Present – Site Development and Repository Construction



1965 – 1976 Iron ore production approx. 7 mil. t; Deposit: ~ 1.4 billion t

1975 Preliminary survey as candidate site

1982 Site Suitability statement and License Application submitted

09/92 - 03/93 Public hearing (75 hearing days)

14.06.00 / Consensus Agreement 17.07.01 - Finishing licensing procedure

- Withdrawal immediate enforcement

01.08.01 Radiation Protection Ordinance amendment License application amendment

05.06.02 LICENSE GRANTED

2002-2008 Litigation

2008-2010 Start of Repository Construction

2013/2014 First Planned DISPOSAL START

2019 Currently Likely Disposal Start




40 km Drifts

Shaft 2

Shaft 2




The Present –Site Development and Repository Construction



The Present –Repository Closure



1970 Bartensleben mine selected as repository

1971 Start of trial disposal (LLW)

1974 Approval of repository construction

1981 / 1986 1st and 2nd permanent operation licenses

10 / 1990 Morsleben repository a Federal Facility under BfS, operated by DBE

1991 Disposal stop, refurbishment

1994 Disposal restarted

09 / 1998 Waste acceptance interrupted

05 / 1999 Waste disposal terminated Licensing procedure only for closure

11 / 2000 Advanced backfilling - repository closure to follow

2011 Public hearing?

2012… License for closure?

The Present – Repository Closure



Central Area Eastern Field




The Present – Special Problem: Asse



The Present – Asse Repository Closure



In 2009 the responsibility for the former Asse Experimental Repository was transferred

• from the Ministry of Education and Research• to the Ministry of the Environment

For final closure of the Asse a licensing procedure under the Atomic Energy Act will be conducted

Different closure options were studied by a pluralistic specialist group

Independently, BfS opted for retrieval of all the waste, as demanded by local stakeholders

Currently studies are being carried out to determine whether waste retrieval is really feasible (repository?)

Emergency planning continuing in parallel

The Present – Asse Repository Closure



The Way Ahead

Progress, although slow, has been achieved in recent times in the German repository projects:

The Konrad deep geological repository (LILW) is under construction

But first waste disposal will be significantly delayed compared with original plans from 2014 to 2019

The public hearing for closure of Morsleben will be delayed from this to later next year

On September 30 the politically motivated moratorium of the Gorleben site exploration ends

Survey results for site suitability statement (positive or negative) shall be available at about five years

A preliminary safety case for Gorleben is being conduct-ed to support the site suitability evaluation (ready 2012)



The Way Ahead – Gorleben Repository ?

german disposal system

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