On 25 April 2017, the operator responsibilities for the Asse II mine as well as the Konrad and Morsleben repositories were transferred to the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH, BGE). This website of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) will therefore no longer be updated and displays the status as on 24 April 2017. You will find current information at the BGE: www.bge.de

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What happens in Asse?

Works for safe decommissioning

Emergency plan and emergency preparedness

Since 1 January 2009, the Asse II mine is subject to the provisions of nuclear law. As responsible operator, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear facility in order to be able to decommission the facility in an orderly manner.

Emergency preparedness according to mining law and nuclear law

The warning sign for radioactivity inside the Asse repository Additional warning signs for radioactivity inside the Asse repository

Regarding the safe operation of a mine the Mining Law stipulates the "precaution against foreseeable major events" (§ 11 General Mining Regulations). Therefore, the BfS has developed an emergency and alarm plan for the Asse mine which is being maintained and updated on a regular basis.

Furthermore, nuclear law provides for further emergency planning in the form of systematic emergency preparedness. Among others, it is part of the safe operation of a nuclear facility under nuclear law to take measures to

  • prevent events from occurring where it is neither possible to continue to operate the facility nor to decommission it in an orderly manner,

or - if this is not possible -

  • reduce the consequences of such events.

In the summer of 2009, the BfS presented for the first time strategic considerations for a systematic emergency preparedness, which have been developed further since. For this purpose, an accompanying technical examination will be carried out on the basis of calculations; experts refer to an "analysis of consequences".

State of 2017.02.27
Depiction of emergency planning components

Objective of emergency planning

As the operator of the Asse II mine mining and nuclear facility, the BfS is obliged to take sufficient precautions against possible operational disruptions or incidents in the facility. According to the mining requirements, the BfS has developed an emergency plan according to § 11 ABBergV. In particular, this plan regulates the emergency and alarm organisation.

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Transfer of operator responsibilities

On 25 April 2017, the operator responsibilities for the Asse II mine as well as the Konrad and Morsleben repositories were transferred to the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH, BGE). Previously, the responsibility for the projects was with the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). The foundations for the change of operatorship are laid down in the "Act on the Realignment of the Organisational Structures in the Field of Radioactive Waste Disposal", which became effective on 30 July 2016. The BfS focusses on the federal tasks of radiation protection, for example in the field of defence against nuclear hazards, medical research, mobile communication, UV protection or the measuring networks for environmental radioactivity.

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Documentation of several years of open discussion

Already in 2009, BfS presented the first concept of emergency preparedness to the public. From the start, all parties involved have agreed that emergency planning is important and necessary. Again and again, there have been different positions regarding the technical details of implementation and their evaluation. BfS has debated these positions in an open manner and over many years.

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