Nuclear Regulatory Issues and Main Developments in Germany - 15 May 2021
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Nuclear Regulatory Issues and Main Developments in Germany 15 May 2021
Contents
1. General Topics
a) Organisational restructuring of nuclear waste management sector
b) Establishment of the Federal Radiological Situation Centre (RLZ)
c) Nuclear Power Phase Out
d) Electricity Production and Nuclear Share
2. Laws and Regulations
a) Matters under International Law
b) National Legislation
c) National Regulation and KTA safety standards
d) Programme for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste
e) Recommendations by RSK, ESK and SSK
3. Operation and Decommissioning of German Nuclear Power Plants
a) Event Registration
b) Evaluation of operating experience
c) Licensing, Supervisory Issues and Decommissioning Licenses
d) Safety Reviews and Peer Reviews
4. Research Reactors
5. Site Selection for Disposal of High-Level Waste
6. Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management
a) Disposal Facilities and Disposal Projects for Radioactive Waste
b) Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
c) Nuclear Fuel Fabrication and Reprocessing
d) Transports
Abbreviations
ARTEMIS Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management,
Decommissioning and Remediation
BASE Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (former BfE)
BDEW Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry
BfS Federal Office for Radiation Protection
BGE Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal
BGZ Company for Radioactive Waste Storage
BMU Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
BWR Boiling Water Reactor
ENSREG European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
IRRS Integrated Regulatory Review Service
KTA German Nuclear Safety Standards Commission
MWe Megawatt electrical power
NPP Nuclear Power Plant
OECD/NEA Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development / Nuclear Energy Agency
PWR Pressurized Water Reactor
RLZ Federal Radiological Situation Centre
TWh Terawatt hour15 May 2021 3
1. General Topics
a) Organisational restructuring of nuclear waste management sector
The German nuclear waste management sector was reorganised in order to efficiently select a site for
a disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste. Accordingly, the Federal Office for the Safety of
Nuclear Waste Management (Bundesamt für kerntechnische Entsorgungssicherheit – BfE) was
established in 2014 as the central licensing and supervisory authority in the field of nuclear waste
management. BfE was assigned additional tasks and the organisation was set up from 2017 onwards.
The BfE was renamed Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung – BASE on
01 January 2020. The English translation remains unchanged.
The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH – BGE
mbH) is responsible for the planning, construction, operation, and decommissioning of disposal facilities.
As a so-called project delivery organisation pursuant to the Site Selection Act, the BGE mbH has the
task of carrying out the site selection procedure for a disposal facility for high-level radioactive waste.
BASE is supervising the site selection procedure.
The Company for Radioactive Waste Storage (Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH – BGZ mbH) is
responsible for the operation of the central storage facilities in Gorleben and Ahaus, for the twelve on-
site storage facilities for spent fuel (not yet for the Brunsbüttel interim storage facility, for which the
licensing procedure is still ongoing, see section 6 b), and for the fourteen storage facilities at twelve
sites for low- and intermediate-level waste.
b) Establishment of the Federal Radiological Situation Centre (RLZ)
To further develop technical and organisational cooperation for coping with emergencies, the Federal
Radiological Situation Centre (RLZ) was established as a new institution within the emergency
preparedness and response system of the Federation. The RLZ within the BMU, as the supreme federal
authority responsible for radiation protection, prepares a unique radiological situation report in the event
of radiological or nuclear emergencies which may have trans-boundary or trans-regional effects within
the territory of the Federal Republic, i.e. a situation report with a technically sound preparation,
presentation and evaluation of the information on the type, extent and expected development of the
radiological situation. In addition, the RLZ is responsible in particular for the coordination of protective
measures and measurements.
c) Nuclear Power Phase Out
Due to the nuclear power phase out in Germany, the nuclear power plant (NPP) Philippsburg 2 lost its
permission to operate on 31 December 2019. The last NPPs still in operation are to be shut down by
the end of 2022 at the latest. The Atomic Energy Act stipulates the following deadlines, on which the
authorisation for power operation expires:
- 31 December 2021: Grohnde, Gundremmingen C, Brokdorf
- 31 December 2022: Isar 2, Emsland, Neckarwestheim 2
According to the Atomic Energy Act, the authorisation for power operation of a NPP may also expire
before the above-mentioned date if the respective assigned electricity volume has been generated.
Electricity volumes may be transferred partially or in total from one NPP to another. Recently, the
following transfers have been made:
- 7 October 2020: 3.00 TWh from the Krümmel NPP to the Grohnde NPP
- 3 December 2020: 1.05 TWh from the Gundremmingen B NPP to the Gundremmingen C NPP
- 17 December 2020: 5.00 TWh from the Krümmel NPP to the Brokdorf NPP
- 6 January 2021: 5.00 TWh from the Krümmel NPP to the Grohnde NPP
- 6 January 2021: 5.00 TWh from the Krümmel NPP to the Isar 2 NPP
The Atomic Energy Act requires a yearly publication of the generated, transferred and remaining
electricity volumes. The status as of 31 December 2020 was published by BASE in the Federal Gazette
(Bundesanzeiger, BAnz AT 30.03.2021 B18) on 30 March 2021 and on the BASE website:
https://www.base.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/BASE/DE/berichte/kt/elektrizitaetsmenge-
2020.html
More information about electricity production rights can be found on the BASE website:
https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/ni-germany/npp/operating-times/operating-times_node.html15 May 2021 4
d) Electricity Production and Nuclear Share
The gross electricity production in Germany reached 564.5 TWh in 2020 (603.5 TWh in 2019). The
nuclear share of the gross electricity production in 2020 was 11.4 %, compared to 12.4 % in 2019 and
11.8 % in 2018. The shares of the different energy sources are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Gross electricity production – 2018 - 2020 [TWh]
2018 2019 2020 *
TWh % TWh % TWh %
Nuclear 76.0 11.8 75.1 12.4 64.3 11.4
Lignite 145.6 22.6 114.0 18.9 91.7 16.2
Hard Coal 82.6 12.8 57.5 9.5 42.5 7.5
Oil 5.2 0.8 4.8 0.8 4.2 0.7
Gas 82.5 12.8 91.0 15.1 91.6 16.2
Renewables 224.8 34.9 241.6 40.0 251.7 44.6
Others 26.8 4.2 19.5 3.2 18.3 3.2
Total 643.5 100 603.5 100 564.5 100
[Data from AGEB and BDEW, Dezember 2020] * preliminary data
2. Laws and Regulations
a) Matters under International Law
Germany is Contracting Party to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS). The eighth Review Meeting
was planned to be held from 23 March to 3 April 2020. Due to the spread of COVID-19, it was postponed
to 2021 and then decided to merge the eighth and ninth Review Meeting in one meeting in 2023. The
German National Report for the 2020 Review Meeting was published on the website of BMU:
http://www.bmu.de/WS4630-1
For more information, see: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/safety/co-operation/cns/cns_node.html
Germany is Contracting Party to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on
the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (JC). The seventh Review Meeting was planned to be held
in May 2021. Due to the spread of Covid-19, it was postponed to 27 June – 8 July 2022. The National
Report was published on the website of BMU: www.bmu.de/DL2577-1
b) National Legislation
Numerous amendments and revisions of regulatory documents in the field of emergency preparedness
and response were carried out, based in particular on the experience gained from the reactor accidents
in Fukushima and the transposition of Directive 2013/59/Euratom into German law. Particularly
important in this context are the Radiation Protection Act (Strahlenschutzgesetz), the Radiation
Protection Ordinance (Strahlenschutzverordnung), the Emergency Dose Value Ordinance ( Notfall-
Dosiswerte-Verordnung), and the Nuclear Waste Disposal Ordinance (Atomrechtliche
Entsorgungsverordnung).
In order to further develop the safety culture, the nuclear licensing and supervisory authorities of the
Federation and the Länder developed a common understanding of their safety culture and put it down
in writing in a policy paper. It covers the fields of nuclear safety, nuclear security and radiation protection
in nuclear installations and of nuclear fuel transports. The policy paper takes into account current
international developments in this area. In particular, the principles of the OECD/NEA on safety culture
in supervisory authorities published in 2016 were applied. The policy paper adopted by the Länder
Committee for Nuclear Energy at its meeting on 6/7 June 2019 forms the basis for further development
and concretisation of the safety culture in the individual authorities.15 May 2021 5
c) National Regulation and KTA safety standards
For information on currently valid regulatory documents see:
https://www.base.bund.de/EN/bfe/laws-regulations/hns/mrs_node.html
In December 2020 the German Nuclear Safety Standards Commission ( Kerntechnischer Ausschuss –
KTA) issued four revised KTA draft standards.
The four newly issued revised KTA safety standards were:
- KTA 3604 Storage, Handling and Plant-internal Transport of Radioactive Substances in Nuclear
Power Plants (with the Exception of Fuel Assemblies)
- KTA 3902 Design of Lifting Equipment in Nuclear Power Plants
- KTA 3903 Inspection, Testing and Operation of Lifting Equipment in Nuclear Power Plants
- KTA 3905 Load Attachment Points on Loads in Nuclear Power Plants
The next meeting of the KTA will probably take place in November 2021 in Berlin. For detailed
information on the KTA and its safety standards, see the KTA website: http://www.kta-
gs.de/welcome_engl.htm
d) Programme for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste
In accordance with Directive 2011/70/Euratom the Federal Environment Ministry set out Germany’s
strategy for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste in its national
programme. This programme was adopted by the German cabinet on 12 August 2015. The Federal
Environment Ministry carried out agency and public participation on the programme before its adoption.
The national programme is not legally binding, but has to be considered by all actors in the planning of
waste management and administrative decisions. The national programme consists of an overarching
document giving a programmatic overview of German waste management policy and four appendices:
The national programme is subject to potential revision in view of ongoing deliberations by the German
parliament's Commission on the Storage of Highly Radioactive Materials.
The National Programme and supplementary documents can be found on the website:
https://www.bmu.de/en/download/national-programme/
e) Recommendations by RSK, ESK and SSK
BMU is supported by three advisory committees regarding nuclear safety, waste management, and
radiation protection.
The Reactor Safety Commission (Reaktor-Sicherheitskommission – RSK) recently issued the following
recommendations or statements:
- Requirements for the cooling of the fuel assemblies in the spent fuel pool during residual
operation (10/2020, in German)
- Statement on outstanding safety issues with regard to deformations of fuel assemblies in German
pressurised water reactors (PWRs) including an assessment of the statistical LOCA analysis
(06/2020, in German)
The complete listing of recommendations and statements by RSK is available on the website:
http://www.rskonline.de/en/consultationresults
The Nuclear Waste Management Commission (Entsorgungskommission – ESK) recently issued the
following recommendations or statements:
- Guidelines for the conditioning of radioactive waste with negligible heat generation (12/2020, in
German)
- Guidelines for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities (11/2020, in German)
For further information, see the website: http://www.entsorgungskommission.de/en/node/93
The Commission on Radiological Protection (Strahlenschutzkommission – SSK) recently issued
recommendations and statements on the following topics:
- Limits on equivalent dose to an organ from occupational exposure (12/2020)
- Medical applications of ionising radiation for diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus-associated
lung disease (02/2021)
The complete listing of recommendations and statements, annual reports and other publications are
available on: http://www.ssk.de/EN/Home/home_node.html15 May 2021 6
3. Operation and Decommissioning of German Nuclear Power Plants
At present, there are 6 nuclear power reactors (5 PWR and 1 BWR) in operation with a gross capacity
of 8 545 MWe.
a) Event Registration
In 2020, a total number of 63 events were reported from German NPPs; 35 events from NPPs in
operation or permanent shut-down, and 28 events from NPPs in decommissioning.
The national Incident Registration Centre is organised at the BASE. The BASE carries out an evaluation
of the events reported from the German nuclear installations, including the classification of the events
according to the Nuclear Safety Officer and Reporting Ordinance (Atomrechtliche Sicherheits-
beauftragten- und Meldeverordnung), lists all information in a database and reports to the BMU in
monthly reports. The current reportable events are discussed in the committees of the RSK and ESK on
the basis of the monthly reports of the BASE.
The monthly as well as annual reports on reportable events of German NPPs and research reactors are
available on the BASE website:
https://www.base.bund.de/EN/ns/events/reports/reports_node.html
b) Evaluation of operating experience
On behalf of the BMU, the expert organisation GRS evaluates national and international operating
experience on a holistic basis, partly involving further independent experts. In particular, the
international events reported within the IRS of the IAEA and in the Working Group on Operating
Experience (WGOE) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy
Agency (OECD/NEA) are systematically evaluated with regard to their applicability to German nuclear
installations.
If the analysis of the events with safety significance reported by German or foreign nuclear installations
reveals an applicability to German nuclear installations, GRS prepares information notices
(Weiterleitungsnachrichten) on behalf of the BMU. These are released by the BMU and transmitted by
GRS to the nuclear licensing and supervisory authorities of all Länder with nuclear installations, the
expert organisations, the licence holders of the nuclear installations, the manufacturers and other
specialised institutions.
In addition, GRS prepares statements at short notice on behalf of the BMU also in the case of special
events or all events rated as INES 2 or higher at foreign nuclear installations. The released statements
are systematically transmitted by the BMU to the nuclear licensing and supervisory authorities of all
Länder with nuclear installations.
Recently evaluated international events:
INES 2 at Research Reactor BR 2 (Belgium) – displacement of power measurement detectors
c) Licensing, Supervisory Issues and Decommissioning Licenses
Germany had altogether 36 NPPs and prototype reactors, of which currently 6 NPPs are in operation.
Their authorisations for power operation will expire on a stepwise basis by the end of 2022 at the latest.
Three prototype reactors have been fully dismantled and released from nuclear regulatory control.
Table 2 gives an overview of the applications for decommissioning and the licences granted for
decommissioning for German NPPs since 2011.
At the two locations in Philippsburg (KKP) and Neckarwestheim (GKN) both, new storage facilities for
low and intermediate level radioactive waste (SAL-N, SAL-P), and new waste treatment facilities (RBZ-
N, RBZ-P) were built. The licences for handling of radioactive substances according to § 7 StrlSchV for
all four plants were granted on 17 December 2018. The transfer of the two storage facilities for low and
intermediate level radioactive waste to the BGZ took place when the storage facilities were put into
operation in 2020. The two waste treatment facilities were put into operation at the beginning of 2021.15 May 2021 7
Table 2: Applications and licences for decommissioning due to nuclear phase-out (since 2011)
Permanent First application for First licence granted
NPP
shutdown decommissioning for decommissioning
Isar 1 KKI 1 06.08.2011 04.05.2012 17.01.2017
Unterweser KKU 06.08.2011 04.05.2012 05.02.2018
Biblis A KWB A 06.08.2011 06.08.2012 30.03.2017
Biblis B KWB B 06.08.2011 06.08.2012 30.03.2017
Brunsbüttel KKB 06.08.2011 01.11.2012 21.12.2018
Neckarwestheim 1 GKN 1 06.08.2011 24.04.2013 03.02.2017
Philippsburg 1 KKP 1 06.08.2011 24.04.2013 07.04.2017
Krümmel KKK 06.08.2011 24.08.2015 –
Grafenrheinfeld KKG 27.06.2015 28.03.2014 11.04.2018
Gundremmingen B KRB B 31.12.2017 11.12.2014 * 19.03.2019
Philippsburg 2 KKP 2 31.12.2019 18.07.2016 17.12.2019
Grohnde KWG In operation 26.10.2017 –
Gundremmingen C KRB C In operation 31.07.2019 * –
Brokdorf KBR In operation 01.12.2017 –
Isar 2 KKI 2 In operation 01.07.2019 –
Emsland KKE In operation 22.12.2016 –
Neckarwestheim 2 GKN 2 In operation 18.07.2016 –
*) dismantling of components
d) Safety Reviews and Peer Reviews
Nuclear installations are subject to continuous regulatory supervision in accordance with the national
law over their entire lifetime from the start of construction to the end of decommissioning. In addition
to the continuous regulatory supervision, comprehensive periodic Safety Reviews are performed every
ten years for nuclear power plants. Due to the nuclear power phase-out no safety reviews will have to
be performed.
Germany participated in the first EU Topical Peer Review (TPR) with the topic “ageing management of
nuclear power plants”. The EU Topical Peer Review is coordinated by the ENSREG. The process of the
Topical Peer Review comprises three phases: a national assessment performed by the member states,
a Peer Review including a workshop and a Follow-Up. The German national assessment report as part
of the first phase of the process was published in December 2017. In September 2019 the National
Action Plan for the implementation of the results of the Topical Peer Review was submitted to ENSREG.
A Topical Peer Review is planned to take place every six years. The second TPR is in preparation.
For more information, including the publicly available reports, see: www.bmu.de/DL1926-1
For more information on the process, see: http://www.ensreg.eu/eu-topical-peer-review
Council Directives 2009/71/Euratom and 2011/70/Euratom requires EU Member States to carry out a
self-assessment every ten years of the national legislative, regulatory and organisational framework for
the nuclear safety of nuclear installations and national waste management programme, including the
competent regulatory authorities, and to invite them to a subsequent peer review. In order to support
the EURATOM Member States in fulfilling this obligation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
offers them the possibility of carrying out corresponding review missions using the Integrated
Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) and the Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent
Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS).
The IRRS Mission took place from 31 March to 12 April 2019. As an overall result, it is confirmed to
Germany that its regulatory framework for nuclear safety meets the internationally applicable standards.
The review team found that Germany’s nuclear licensing and supervisory authorities are mature and15 May 2021 8
competent, and highlighted the effective cooperation with other organisations and interested parties.
The Review Team identified a “good practice” for the Integrated Measuring and Information System for
the Monitoring of Environmental Radioactivity (IMIS).
For more information, including the publicly available report, see: www.bmu.de/WS301-1
For information of the German public the final mission report was translated to German and published
on the information portal of the Federal government and the Länder: www.nuklearesicherheit.de/P172
The ARTEMIS mission took place from 23 September to 04 October 2019. The ARTEMIS team concluded
that Germany has a mature legal and regulatory framework for the safety of radioactive waste and
spent fuel management. The recently restructured organizational framework for the National
Programme contains the necessary elements for safety and programme implementation. The Review
Team identified a “good practice” for the use of the National Civil Society Board as a mediating and
independent body to accompany the site selection process.
The final mission report was published on the IAEA website:
https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/documents/review-missions/final_artemis_report-germany.pdf
4. Research Reactors
In Germany 6 research reactors are in operation. Among the reactors in operation there are 2 with a
continuous thermal power above 50 kW, FRM-II in Munich and FRMZ in Mainz. Additionally, 4
homogenous zero-power reactors with a thermal power of maximum 2 W are in operation.
Three research reactors are permanently shut down, but so far no decommissioning licence has been
granted for them. Six research reactors are under decommissioning and 31 research reactors have
already been decommissioned and totally dismantled and are released from regulatory control. The
latest status changes were:
The research reactor BER-II in Berlin was permanently shut down on 11 December 2019 and an
application for decommissioning was filed on 24 April 2017.
For the homogenous zero-power reactor in Aachen SUR AA a decommissioning licence was
granted on 26 June 2020.
Two research reactors, SUR-H and RFR, were released from regulatory control in 2019.
5. Site Selection for Disposal of High-Level Waste
The Site Selection Act (Standortauswahlgesetz) stipulates the participative, science-based, transparent,
self-questioning, and learning procedure for the search and selection of a site for the safe disposal of
high-level radioactive waste. The aim is to determine the site offering the highest possible degree of
safety for a period of one million years.
The Commission “Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste” (Endlagerkommission) published its final
report in June 2016. The resulting legislative changes in the Site Selection Act became effective on
16 May 2017, after Bundestag and Bundesrat had decided on the issue. Thus, the procedure for the
site selection is defined in detail. The search covers the entire country without preferring certain regions
or excluding certain regions from the outset.
The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH – BGE
mbH) as the project delivery organisation develops proposals for subareas, regions and sites as well as
for site-related exploration programmes and test criteria. BASE supervises the search for a site and
organises the participation of the public on the national and regional level for the federal government.
In three consecutive phases, the search areas for the disposal site are narrowed down:
Phase 1: Determination of siting regions for the surface exploration
Phase 2: Surface exploration and proposal for underground exploration
Phase 3: Underground exploration, siting proposal and decision on the site
At the end of each phase, the BGE mbH proposals are examined by BASE. Each phase is concluded by
a parliamentary decision in the form of a federal act naming the siting regions, the sites for underground
exploration and finally the disposal site.
Currently, the site selection procedure is in its phase 1. BGE mbH requested and collected data
concerning the exclusion criteria and the minimum requirements defined in the Site Selection Act, such
as tectonic, mining and hydrogeological data from the geological services of the Länder. Subsequently,15 May 2021 9 BGE mbH applied geological weighting criteria to identify subareas. After publication of these subareas by BGE mbH in an interim report on 28 September 2020, BASE convened a Subareas Conference to discuss the interim report with the interested public. The Subarea Conference started with an opening meeting on 17/18 October 2020 where the report was presented BGE mbH. It continued with a first consultation meeting on 5 to 7 February 2021, where a first discussion of the report’s contents took place. Two more consultation meetings will follow in June and August 2021. The conference is composed of individual citizens, representatives of civil society organisations, scientists and members of regional authorities of the subareas. It will provide feedback to the BGE mbH. In addition, the Site Selection Act stipulates the establishment of a pluralistically composed National Civil Society Board (Nationales Begleitgremium). Central task of the National Civil Society Board is the conciliatory and independent monitoring of the site selection procedure, in particular the implementation of public participation in the site selection procedure until a decision has been made in favour of one site. The National Civil Society Board started its work with its first meeting on 5 December 2016. For more information, please refer to: http://www.nationales-begleitgremium.de (in German) The BGE report on subareas is available at: https://www.bge.de/en/sitesearch/sub-areas-interim-report/ Further information on the site selection can be found at the BASE web page: https://www.base.bund.de/EN The information platform of BASE containing all publicly available documents concerning the site selection can be found here: https://www.endlagersuche-infoplattform.de/webs/Endlagersuche/EN 6. Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management a) Disposal Facilities and Disposal Projects for Radioactive Waste Germany has one disposal facility for radioactive waste with negligible heat generation currently in build- up (Konrad repository) and two mines in which low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is stored and which will be decommissioned in the future (Morsleben repository and Asse II mine). The Konrad mine is currently being converted to a disposal facility for radioactive waste with negligible heat generation. The plan approval decision (licence) for the Konrad repository was issued on 22 May 2002, it became unappealable on 26 March 2007. The Morsleben mine was used as disposal facility for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste from 1971 until 1998. BfS applied for the decommissioning of the Morsleben facility under nuclear law on 9 May 1997. The plan-approval procedure is currently ongoing. In the Asse II mine low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste was stored from 1967 to 1978. According to the Atomic Energy Act, the Asse II mine shall be decommissioned immediately. Decommissioning is to take place once the radioactive waste has been retrieved from the facility. For further information on the disposal projects, see: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/nwm/repositories/introduction/introduction.html b) Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel In Germany three central storage facilities are in operation at Gorleben, Ahaus and Lubmin. On 1 August 2017, the operator responsibilities for the Gorleben and Ahaus storage facilities were transferred from the GNS (Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH) to the new, state-owned operator BGZ mbH. At the Gorleben Transport Cask Storage Facility (TBL Gorleben) nuclear fuel is stored in the form of spent fuel elements from light water reactors as well as vitrified high-level radioactive waste (HAW) from the reprocessing of German fuel elements. The Transport Cask Storage Facility Ahaus (TBL Ahaus) is a storage facility for the storage of nuclear fuels and other radioactive materials. The Storage Facility North near Lubmin (Zwischenlager Nord – ZLN) is a facility for the storage of spent fuel and vitrified HAW from the reprocessing of fuel elements in the Karlsruhe Vitrification Facility (Verglasungseinrichtung Karlsruhe – VEK). ZLN is operated by EWN Entsorgungswerk für Nuklearanlagen GmbH (EWN). For more information on the central storage facilities, see: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/nwm/interim-storage/central/central_node.html
15 May 2021 10 Additionally, twelve on-site storage facilities are in operation at the sites of the nuclear power plants. On 01 January 2019 the operator responsibilities for these storage facilities was transferred from the NPP operators to the BGZ mbH. The storage of waste from reprocessing plants in Sellafield, Great Britain and La Hague, France which is still to be returned to Germany shall take place at four on-site storage facilities. On 29 September 2017 licence applications were filed by the operators of the on-site storage facilities Philippsburg, Biblis, Brokdorf and Isar in this matter. On 19 December 2019 BASE issued the license for interim storage of up to seven Type B(U) transport and storage casks CASTOR ® HAW28M with vitrified HAW from Sellafield at the interim storage facility in Biblis. The other licensing procedures are ongoing. The preliminary environmental impact assessment has already been completed for Philippsburg and Biblis. The licence of the Brunsbüttel storage facility was revoked by the Federal Administrative Court in January 2015. The legal basis for the current storage of spent fuel at the Brunsbüttel storage facility is an unlimited, supervisory order from the competent authority of Schleswig-Holstein. In November 2015, the operator applied for a new licence for the facility. This licensing procedure is currently ongoing. For further information, see: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/nwm/interim-storage/decentralised/licence/kkb-en.html The Jülicher Entsorgungsgesellschaft für Nuklearanlagen mbH (JEN) operates a storage facility for spherical fuel elements from the former AVR experimental reactor in Jülich. The licence for the JEN storage facility was limited to June 2013. The licensing procedure for the storage of the fuel elements in Jülich for a short-term period is still ongoing. In 2016, a license was granted for the storage of these fuel elements in the TBL Ahaus. A license application for the transport of the fuel elements to Ahaus has been filed. For more information, see: https://www.base.bund.de/EN/nwm/interim-storage/decentralised/licence/kkj-en.html c) Nuclear Fuel Fabrication and Reprocessing Germany has one facility for the fabrication of fuel elements for light water reactors (ANF) and one uranium enrichment plant. The facility for the fabrication of fuel elements is located in Lingen (Brennelementfertigungsanlage Lingen) and has a capacity for uranium conversion of 800 t/a. The uranium enrichment plant is located in Gronau (URENCO Germany) and has a licenced capacity of 4500 tSW/a. The only German reprocessing plant in Karlsruhe (Wiederaufbereitungsanlage Karlsruhe – WAK) is in decommissioning, the first decommissioning licence was granted in 1993. The 26th licence for decommissioning from 6 July 2018 includes the dismantling of equipment in the process cell of the Karlsruhe vitrification facility (VEK), belonging to the WAK decommissioning project. d) Transports On 3 April 2018 the licensing applications for the transport of waste from reprocessing plants in Sellafield, Great Britain and La Hague, France to the facilities in Biblis and Philippsburg were filed. On 14 February 2020 the license for the transport from Sellafield to Biblis was granted by BASE. 6 transport and storage casks CASTOR ® HAW28M with vitrified HAW from Sellafield arrived in Biblis on 4 November 2020.
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