Historical development

Source: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Kahnert

Long-term documentation is not a recent idea. It has been anchored in certain regulations and documents for decades.

1983

The safety criteria for final disposal were laid down in 1983: The

"mine surveyor data of the repository, the characterisation of the emplaced waste and the essential technical measures during construction, operation and decommissioning of the repository mine"

were to be documented. These compilations of documents were to be kept in separate locations to ensure that knowledge of the repository site was adequately secured

2002

Schacht Konrad Source: picture alliance / Bildagentur-online/McPhoto-Scholz

The Konrad planning approval decision further specifies this content, defines the relevant data characteristics, and establishes the concept of long-term documentation. The Konrad mine is the first repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in Germany to be authorised under nuclear law.

2016

The final report of the Final Repository Commission in 2016 outlines key requirements and recommendations for the organisation of long-term documentation in the Federal Republic of Germany. These include the types of relevant data and documents, the spatially separated storage locations and the access, inspection and ownership rules for the data.

2017

The Site Selection Act (StandAG) of 2017 followed these recommendations and enshrined the task of long-term documentation in Section 38. The time limit for the retention of information for at least 500 years is based on the possibility of retrieval laid down in Section 26 StandAG.

2020

Most recently, the Repository Safety Requirements Ordinance of 2020 also stipulated a long-term retrievability on the basis of comprehensive documentation.

With the support of BASE, the BMUV develops

• the documentation ordinance in accordance with Section 38 StandAG for the HAW repository and
• a decree for long-term documentation in the area of LAW & MAW disposal.

2024

The documentation ordinance for long-term documentation is expected to come into force in 2024.

Public consultation: Documentation of waste management for the future