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Konrad repository

Germany's first planned and licensed repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste is being built at the Konrad mine in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony. BASE, as the Federal Nuclear Supervisory Authority, is responsible for the supervision of this facility.

Konrad repository

Overview of the Konrad mine

Rock type: iron ore

Location: Lower Saxony

Status: according to the BGE, construction will now continue until the end of 2029 (for a maximum of 303,000 m³ of )

Operator: BGE

Supervision under nuclear law: BASE

Licensing authority until commissioning: Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection

Licensing authority after commissioning: BASE

The first nuclear waste in Germany to be licensed under nuclear law for the storage of low- and medium- is currently being constructed in the Konrad mine. The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) is converting a former iron ore mine in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, for this purpose.

The conversion work required in the former iron ore mine is extensive. For example, the shafts have to be rehabilitated and equipped with the necessary infrastructure. Once the facility is completed, the storage of low- and intermediate- can begin.

Approximately two-thirds of the scheduled for the Konrad originates from nuclear power plants and companies within the nuclear industry. In addition, the Konrad is to accept materials from the of GDR nuclear power plants, as well as waste from federal research facilities.

Dates and facts

1965-1976: Iron ore mine: Shaft Konrad 1 and Shaft Konrad 2

1976-1982: A review shows that the Konrad mine offers good conditions for a final storage site for low- and medium- .

1982: Start of the nuclear planning approval procedure for the construction of a .

2002: Planning approval decision

  • 2007: The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) commissions the then , the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), to build the Konrad .
  • Konrad is the first in Germany to be planned and licensed under nuclear law.
  • 2029: According to BGE, construction is expected to be completed and commissioning to begin

Want to know more?

The BGE provides detailed information about the Konrad .

Stand: 2024.12.06