Transport of High-Radioactive Waste to Ahaus Approved
The North Rhine-Westphalia Higher Administrative Court in Münster has ruled that 152 Castor containers filled with highly radioactive waste from a former research reactor in Jülich can be transported to the interim storage facility in Ahaus. This decision comes after the court dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city of Ahaus and a local resident, with no possibility for an appeal allowed. However, the plaintiffs retain the option to appeal to the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.
The containers, which contain approximately 30,000 tennis ball-sized fuel element spheres from the AVR experimental reactor, are a remnant of a reactor that was intended to serve as a model for the high-temperature reactor in Hamm, a project that ultimately failed. The Jülich reactor ceased operations in 1988 following multiple incidents, with the Hamm reactor decommissioned a year later.
In 2014, the NRW nuclear regulatory authority mandated the removal of the fuel element storage in Jülich, citing concerns over its ability to withstand significant seismic events. Conversely, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) assessed the storage in Jülich as earthquake-resistant. Nevertheless, the federal government decided in 2022 to relocate the Castor containers to Ahaus, designating this move as the preferred option.
Opposition groups argue against the relocation, advocating for the containers to remain in Jülich, ideally in a newly constructed facility, until a permanent storage solution is available. They contend that the Ahaus facility is inadequate, citing concerns over its security features, particularly its 75-centimeter thick walls, which they argue would be insufficient to withstand modern threats such as drone attacks. Critics assert that the current safety measures are outdated and insufficient for contemporary risks, drawing parallels with the destructive capabilities demonstrated during the Ukraine conflict.
Moreover, critics highlight that Ahaus lacks the capacity to contain any potential leaks from damaged containers. The interim storage authorization is set to expire in 2036, and a permanent storage solution is not anticipated to be operational until the turn of the century.
The court did not share the security concerns raised by the plaintiffs, affirming that there were no deficiencies in the investigation conducted by the BASE, which evaluated potential radioactive release scenarios, including those resulting from an aircraft accident. The court concluded that any radiation exposure to the surrounding population would fall within the safety limits established by the regulatory authority, which had taken potential drone attacks into account.
The transportation of the containers is planned to take place by truck, primarily during nighttime hours. It has been confirmed that only one Castor container will be transported per vehicle, indicating that this process will be lengthy and could extend over a period of two years.
While plans for the transport are in motion, the exact timeline for when the Castor containers will arrive in Ahaus remains uncertain, as the necessary transport permits for traversing North Rhine-Westphalia have yet to be issued. The regional government is now tasked with implementing its coalition agreement, which stipulates that the nuclear waste from Jülich should remain at its current location rather than being transferred to Ahaus. Nuclear opponents are expected to express their dissent through a demonstration in Ahaus scheduled for December 15.
In conclusion, the recent court ruling signifies a pivotal moment in the ongoing discourse surrounding nuclear waste management in Germany, highlighting the tensions between regulatory decisions and community safety concerns.
