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 will become of Asse?

Safety for future generations

Sinking of a recovery shaft (shaft 5)

Drilling for new shaft 5 started Drilling for new shaft 5 startedDrilling for new shaft 5 started

Parallel to planning the waste retrieval, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) pursues the plan to sink a new shaft (shaft Asse 5). The new shaft is required for retrieval and the transport of the waste to the surface. That is also one result of the expert workshop that took place in Brunswick in January 2012. Furthermore, the entire supply of fresh air (ventilation) and the transport of materials will be improved considerably.

The first exploratory drilling for the planned new recovery shaft started on 5 June 2013.

Objective of sinking the recovery shaft

In view of the planned retrieval of the radioactive waste the conditions inside the mine need to be improved. Among others, the safe transport of the waste and an increased number of staff underground are necessary. Apart from this, proper ventilation needs to be guaranteed. That requires the construction of a new, sufficiently dimensioned day shaft.

Search for a site for a recovery shaft (shaft 5)

In the context of a current-state analysis of the mining and geological conditions, several sites for a new shaft were examined at the beginning of 2011. According to the information available, only one site which is located about 500 metres to the east of the existing main shaft 2 shows the features required for a shaft site and is therefore being explored.

Exploration drilling at the surface

After having reached a drilling depth of 900 metres, the Asse-GmbH completed the exploration drilling from the surface for the planned recovery shaft 5. With the help of the drilling and additional subsequent measurements one wants to find out whether the area around the drilling site is suitable for a new shaft to be constructed there. The planned "shaft 5" is one of several important project components for the retrieval of the Asse waste.

Drilling underground

The exploration of the shaft site also requires carrying out drillings underground. Starting at the mine openings, the rock is examined towards the new shaft from both the 700-m and the 574-m level.

Potentials for speeding up

The sinking of the recovery shaft (shaft 5) can be carried out regardless of the outcome of the trial phase for retrieval (fact-finding) and without touching the existing mine. That is one of the results from another expert workshop on the speeding-up of retrieval which was organised by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) in September 2012 in Wolfenbüttel.

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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