Öko-Institut e.V.: Another 30 years to go - The final storage of high-level radioactive waste

Editorial

[Translate to Englisch:] Jan Peter Schemmel, Sprecher der Geschäftsführung des Öko-Instituts

A new yet familiar role

Editorial by Jan Peter Schemmel, CEO, Oeko-Institut

Where nuclear energy is concerned, we have come a long way since the Oeko-Institut was founded more than 40 years ago. The nuclear phase-out was finally agreed; Germany’s remaining reactors are due to be shut down next year. A science-based, transparent, participatory and stepwise procedure is now in place to identify a site for a repository. Our researchers’ expertise is therefore still in demand. For more than four decades, they were the first to provide independent scientific analyses…

A new yet familiar role

In Focus

A multi-coloured map

The Sub-areas Interim Report

Large areas of orange, a lot of lilac, a touch of green: the map of Germany on which the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) – the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal – shows possible sub-areas is a colourful one. Its radiant hues show where there are claystone, granite or rock salt formations and, above all, which regions in Germany – according to current knowledge – may be suitable as a site for a future repository for high-level radioactive waste. The sub-areas…

A multi-coloured map

An ongoing task

Public participation in repository site selection: a once-in-a-lifetime project

A repository right on my doorstep? For many people, that’s impossible to imagine. They have fears and concerns that can spark major opposition to the facility. So in the search for a suitable site, it is important to consider not only technical and geoscientific issues but also society’s needs and expectations. The early and active involvement of the public is therefore key. How can citizen participation work, and which challenges can already be identified in this…

An ongoing task

[Translate to Englisch:] Dr. Allison Macfarlane

“You have to try a lot of things and tolerate setbacks”

Interview with Dr Allison Macfarlane (University of British Columbia)

In Finland construction is already under way, in France a site has been identified, while the USA is still stuck. Countries all over the world are engaged in the search for a final repository. Dr Allison Macfarlane is one of the USA’s top nuclear experts. She chaired the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and was a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. She is now Director of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British…

“You have to try a lot of things and tolerate setbacks”