Topics dealt with in 2012:

Asse II mine

At its 24th meeting on 01./02.02.2012, the ESK and the ESK/SSK ad hoc working group ASSE dealt with the following questions raised by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

1. What possibilities for accelerating the realisation of retrieval are feasible without compromising on safety?

2. Can planning and implementation of the emergency and precautionary measures be accelerated and optimised?

As a result of the consultation, the ESK statement [52 KB] (in German) of 02.02.2012 was adopted.

Topics dealt with in 2011:

Retrieval/Retrievability

In 2010 and 2011, based on international examples, the Committee has gathered information on the different schedules for the emplacement of radioactive waste and the sealing of the repositories, on the different conceptual provisions to facilitate retrieval of the waste, the periods of time considered and the safety-related implications of these measures.

At its 19th meeting on 24.08.2011, after comprehensive consultations, the Committee adopted a discussion paper “Retrieval / retrievability of high-level radioactive waste from a repository" [565 KB] (in German), and Theses for a public discussion on retrievability [109 KB] .

In accordance with the Statutes, the Committee dealt with this issue on its own initiative.

Topics dealt with in 2010:

Consultations on the licence for handling radioactive substances pursuant to Article 7 of the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)” for the Asse II mine

In 2010, the Committee discussed the incidents and the emergency and precautionary measures to be considered according to the request for advice. For this purpose, the Committee had established an ad hoc working group whose consultation results on the above issues were finally discussed at the 11th meeting of the ESK Committee on Final Disposal (EL) on 02.06.2010 and, upon agreement with the ESK by way of circulation, made available to the Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) as a contribution to the joint statement. This statement [120 KB] (in German) was adopted on 02.07.2010.

Topics dealt with in 2009:

BMU draft “Safety Requirements Governing the Final Disposal of Heat-Generating Radioactive Waste”

In September 2008, the BMU commissioned the ESK Committee on Final Disposal (EL) to consult on the above mentioned draft of 29.07.2008 (in German) and to prepare a statement. The questions of the request for advice to be dealt is available here [8 KB] (in German). As a first step, the ESK, the Committee EL, representatives of the SSK and experts consulted discussed the BMU draft at a two-day closed meeting and exchanged first views, notes and comments. On this basis, a draft statement was prepared in the ESK Committee EL. Members of the ESK and the Committee EL also participated in the Final Repository Symposium of the BMU in which, among others, the above-mentioned BMU draft was presented and discussed. At its 5th meeting on 29.01.2009, the ESK adopted its statement [171 KB] (in German) on the above-mentioned BMU draft.

After adoption of this ESK statement, the BMU started a revision of the safety requirements for final disposal, resulting in the “Safety Requirements Governing the Final Disposal of Heat-Generating Radioactive Waste, Draft of the Federal Ministry for the Environment - Revision 1“ of 18. March 2009 (in German).

In February 2009, three persons of the ESK also gave advice regarding the preparation of “Revision 1” upon request of the BMU. In this revision, many of the amendments deemed necessary by the ESK had been considered. Nevertheless, it was pointed out that the consultation by these three persons does not constitute a formal approval of the ESK on Revision 1.

Within the framework of the 6th meeting of the ESK on 26.03.2009, discussions were also held on Revision 1 of the safety requirements; on the part of the BMU, the preparation of a formal statement by the ESK had not been intended. Thus, the ESK stated – without in-depth discussions – that Revision 1 represents an improvement compared to the original version of the safety requirements but that in some areas the ESK still takes a different view. This applies, in particular, to the risk concept and the requirements for the casks still preferred by the BMU. In this respect, the ESK refers to its statement of 29.01.2009.


Topics dealt with in 2008:

Asse II mine
- Plausibility checks on the operator data and information
- Recommendations for investigations

In view of the recent events in the Asse II (among others, entry of contaminated solutions), in July 2008, the BMU requested the ESK and the SSK for supporting advice and commissioned them to prepare a joint statement on the safety of the Asse II mine. The questions of the request for advice to be dealt are available here [12 KB] . ESK and SSK established a joint ad hoc working group which, in a first step, gathered information within the framework of an inspection of the Asse II mine and on-site meetings with Asse staff. For answering the first question of the BMU request for advice, the ad hoc working group set up three sub-working groups to consult on particular questions and to draft text contributions for a statement. The text contributions were initially consulted and agreed upon in the ad hoc working group and then in the ESK and SSK and adopted as a statement [75 KB] (in German).