Sealing structures will stabilise the mine
Emergency planning is to prevent discharge of large amounts of radioactive materials
As a result of current discussions about individual stabilisation measures in the Asse mine in the scope of emergency planning, the BfS explains the necessity of individual backfilling measures to improve stability and safety in the mine.
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has developed an emergency plan for the case of an uncontrollable inflow of water into the Asse II mine. Preventive measures need implementing already now. Measures that will only have to be implemented in an emergency are being prepared and prioritised.
Construction of sealing structures
Structural barriers stabilise the mine and serve as a barrier in an emergency.
As a precaution, sealing structures are erected in the scope of emergency planning that will stabilise the mine and serve as barrier in an emergency. Among others, galleries situated around the emplacement chambers (in depths of 725 to 775 metres) are being backfilled with a special type of concrete and are then sealed. For this purpose loosened (brittle) areas in the salt rock are removed in order to be able to erect a sealing structure that will be as impermeable as possible.
These measures are to stabilise the mine workings and to ensure that as few radioactive materials as possible will be dissolved and transported out of the mine in case of an uncontrollable inflow of water. This is a key prerequisite for the safety of the staff during the planned retrieval of the waste. The works do not prevent a retrieval of the waste but enable them (cf. Asse Progress Report 2010 (in German)).
Co-ordinated emergency planning concept
The emergency planning concept has been co-ordinated with the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and has been confirmed by the licensing authorities of NMU and LBEG. The BfS has reported about the emergency planning concept on the occasion of three information events (20.08.2009, 27.04.2010, 09.12.2010).
The objective of the BfS continues to be to retrieve the waste from Asse as quickly as possible.