The public are comprehensively informed about all steps
BfS President Wolfram König opens Info Centre next to the mine
Date 2009.01.05
“The safety of man and environment is the criterion for closing Asse," Wolfram König, President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) said today on the occasion of opening the Asse Info Centre that has been established next to the Asse mine in Remlingen and which is open to all citizens. “We will inform the public about all steps associated with the closure of Asse.”
It was essential to regain lost trust of the population. “We can only achieve this goal by transparently informing about all measures. The new Information Centre will play a central role here,” König emphasised. After BfS has become the operator of Asse at the beginning of this year, a recommencement in information policy is now being made. Everyone who is interested can get current information about further proceedings in Asse. BfS provides additional explanations in the form of lectures, new computer animations, and presentation charts.
In closing the Asse mine, BfS confronts three essential tasks:
- Establishing long-term safety: The challenge is here to shield the radioactive radiation emanating from the waste in the mine from the biosphere. Never must radioactivity from the waste enter the environment in an uncontrolled way.
- Radiation protection: BfS takes all measures to keep the radiation exposure to population and staff underground as low as possible. No measure to secure or close Asse must expose human beings to avoidable risks.
- Participation of the public: Right from the start, the public is BfS's partner in closing Asse. Citizens have the legal right to information and participation in the plan-approval procedure for the closure of the mine.
To find the best possible solution, all essential measures taken by BfS are previously accompanied by experts and the results are published.
For the organisation of the operation the new Asse GmbH – Gesellschaft für Betriebsführung und Schließung der Schachtanlage Asse II - has been established which is directly responsible to BfS. It is planned to retain the Asse staff in order to keep essential know-how. It is the reestablishment of Asse GmbH that enables a quick transfer of personnel in situ into the responsibility of BfS.