New construction plan for interim storage in Lubmin published

Source: EWN GmbH

The plans of EWN Entsorgungswerk für Nuklearanlagen GmbH to build a new interim storage facility for high-level radioactive waste on the site of the decommissioned Lubmin nuclear power plant near Greifswald can now be inspected publicly, and comments can be submitted for the subsequent discussion. As the competent licensing authority, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) is responsible for examining the operator's project and, in doing so, shall involve the public in the current procedural step. In the scope of a formal participation procedure, BASE published the new licensing procedure in the Federal Gazette on 4 February, and made relevant operator documents on the procedure available online as of 11 February 2022. Objections to the project can be raised until 11 April 2022. These objections shall be collected and discussed in public at a later point. BASE shall inform the public in good time about the dates where the operator must comment on the objections.

The Interim Storage North near Lubmin is where the federally owned company EWN GmbH treats and stores all types of radioactive waste. In the future, a new building nearby is to replace the hall currently used as an interim storage facility for high-level radioactive waste. The reason is that the structural reinforcement required for all existing interim storage facilities for high-level radioactive waste cannot be realised.

On 29 May 2019, EWN GmbH submitted an application for approval of a new building for the storage of nuclear fuels. EWN GmbH intends to construct a building in the vicinity of the existing interim storage facility to accommodate the 74 transport and storage casks located in the current interim storage facility.

The requested storage permit is intended to last until 2051 and thus corresponds to the time limit of the current permit. Since the application for storage of nuclear fuel covers a period of more than 10 years, an environmental impact assessment with public participation is required for the licensing procedure, which now forms the framework for public participation as carried out by the licensing authority BASE.