Nuclear Waste Transportation Given Green Light by Federal Office via NRW

Nuclear waste transportation receives approval by the Federal Authority, set to travel through North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) - Nuclear waste transportation in NRW given green light by federal authorities

The Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal (BASE) has given its approval for nuclear waste transports from the Jülich research center to the interim storage facility in Ahaus. However, the decision for the transports ultimately lies with the state authorities, and no specific start date has been set yet.

If the necessary permits are granted, the transports could begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2025. Each transport vehicle will carry one container at a time, and the transports will involve 152 Castor containers, holding around 300,000 spent fuel rods from an earlier test reactor.

The route for the nuclear waste transports is approximately 170 kilometers and passes through densely populated areas. The permit contains ancillary conditions that are currently being reviewed and implemented. Further coordination with the nuclear supervisory authority, police authorities of NRW, and Berlin is necessary before transport can begin.

The transports could be bundled, but the implementation of the BASE approval is being closely monitored by the atomic supervision authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia and the responsible police authorities. The last operating permit for the Juelich storage facility expired in 2013, and the NRW Ministry of Economics ordered the clearance of the facility in 2014 due to earthquake safety concerns.

The news of potential nuclear waste transports to Ahaus has long been a subject of protests from residents and activists in NRW. The transports will take place on the road, and the spent fuel rods in Juelich have been stored in the Castor containers for some time. Germany currently has no final repositories for long-term nuclear waste storage, and the transports to Ahaus will be crucial for the safe disposal of the waste.

There are 16 interim storage facilities in Germany, including the one in Ahaus, which is designed to temporarily hold nuclear waste until a final repository is available. The transports will mark a significant step towards the safe and secure disposal of nuclear waste in Germany. However, the focus remains on ensuring the safety of the transports and the communities they pass through, as well as fulfilling all the necessary conditions before the transports can begin.