Emplacement of radioactive wastes
- 4 April 1967: Start of trial emplacement of low- level waste in the Asse M ine. Between 1967 and 1978, about 125,000 waste packages with low- level waste were emplaced .
- 31 August 1972: Start of trial emplacement of intermediate-level waste in the Asse M ine.
- Between 1972 and 1977, about 1,300 drums with intermediate- level waste were emplaced .
- 31 August 1976: The fourth amendment of the Atomic Energy Act enters into force. With this amendment, the boundary conditions for the disposal of radioactive waste applicable today are established.
- 31 Dec. 1978: The last emplacement licences expire, the emplacement of low- and intermediate-level wastes in the Asse M ine ends.
The emplacement of low- and intermediate-level wastes in the Asse M ine between 1967 and 1978 was exclusively performed on the basis of and in accordance with the respective licences required at that time which, in turn, were granted on the basis of the laws and ordinances applicable at that time. The entire emplacement took place without any noteworthy technical disturbances or accidents.
Both GSF and the competent licensing authority never gave rise to doubts that the wastes emplaced in the Asse M ine will remain there.
Trial emplacement of low- level wastes
- At the beginning of trial emplacement, the drums with the low- level wastes were emplaced in the former mining chambers in the rock salt vertically stacked.
- The horizontal stacking of the packages with low- level waste was a first optimisation.
- In the third phase of trial emplacement, the packages with low- level wastes were dumped over a salt bank into the emplacement chamber and then covered with salt.
- View into the loading chamber. At the left, the transport and shielding container in which the waste drums were transported separately from the surface to the underground. At the right, the monitoring and control panel from which the emplacement process can be performed and monitored.
- Look through the shielding lead-glass window into the emplacement room for intermediate-level wastes.