What will happen to the nuclear waste in the German Asse facility?

Background: Germany's former environment minister made himself out to be a crisis manager in the scandal surrounding the Asse nuclear waste storage facility. But the problem has not been solved -- and the issue threatens to derail the CDU’s plans to postpone Germany's nuclear phaseout.

The Asse nuclear waste dump has the dubious honor of being the most contaminated legacy of Germany’s nuclear power industry.

By the end of this year, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) will decide what to do with the atomic storage of Asse.

Three expert groups have evaluated this question during the last three months. They had to investigate approaches for the closure of the unsafe underground salt mine, in which dimly and intermediate level nuclear waste was stored between 1967 and 1978.

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection has now presented the results of the studies and announced that it will decide by the end of the year, which of the approaches shall be realized.

Authority chief Wolfram King: We really have to "choose, among the many bad conditions, the safest option."

A dangerous leakage at the Asse storage site caused a scandal and a public outcry, amid renewed calls for the shut down of the country's aging nuclear energy plants.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,577018,00.html
http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/0,1518,652893,00.html (german)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=105848§ionid=351020604

Settlement details:As reported by a major mainstream news source.

Forecast history %

waste will be recovered and stored elsewhere

14%

waste will be relocated inside the Asse mine

waste remains, mine is filled with special concret

other approach

combination of approaches

61%

no decision by suspension

15%

Question suspends in 10 weeks

Activity: H$19,020
Predictions: 48
Comments: 0

Suspend date: Sun 31st Jan 2010 11:59pm PST (10 weeks to go)

Initial likelihoods: waste will be recovered and stored elsewhere: 20%, waste will be relocated inside the Asse mine: 20%, waste remains, mine is filled with special concret: 20%, other approach: 10%, combination of approaches: 10%, no decision by suspension: 20%

Action history:

Created Fri 2nd Oct 2:14pm PST by

kruijs [Power User]

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