State custody of nuclear fuel

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The handling of nuclear fuels in Germany generally requires approval in accordance with the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act (AtG). To own nuclear fuel is therefore only entitled to who z. B. Transported nuclear fuel according to § 4 AtG or stored in an interim storage facility according to § 6 AtG . In addition, an order for the storage of nuclear fuels in accordance with Section 19, Paragraph 3, Clause 2, No. 2 AtG also entitles the holder to own nuclear fuels. Nuclear fuels for which an authorized person cannot be identified or used are to be stored by the state in accordance with Section 5 (4) AtG. This can happen if nuclear fuels are found or secured during border controls. The problem is u. a the unauthorized possession of plutonium , as it is a weapon- grade material. The state custody therefore also serves the international non-proliferation control.

In the case of state custody, in accordance with Section 5 (5) AtG, the necessary precautions against damage caused by the storage of nuclear fuels must be taken in accordance with the state of the art in science and technology , and the necessary protection against disruptive measures or other third-party influences must be guaranteed. Nuclear fuels held by the state should therefore be protected according to the same safety standards as nuclear power plants or interim storage facilities.

Competent custodial authority

The competent authority for state custody is the Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal Safety (BfE). It took over this task on July 30, 2016 from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), which was responsible until then . From 1959 until the BfS was founded in 1989, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig was the state custody authority.

State custody in Hanau

The “state storage facility ” in Hanau (Hesse) was set up in 1981 in the so-called fissile material bunker on the site of the former production facility for mixed oxide fuel elements ( MOX fuel elements ) from Siemens (formerly ALKEM ). In the nuclear fuel storage of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection in Hanau, plutonium-containing nuclear fuels from RWE , the Karlsruhe Research Center and small amounts of the federal government were stored . This involved the first core of the fast breeder Kalkar, which was owned by RWE Power AG, and other unused nuclear fuels for the now decommissioned fast breeder research reactor KNK II in Karlsruhe.

In Hanau there were still four cores of disused Siemens SUR-100 teaching reactors, which are used in universities for training purposes. They contained nuclear fuel in the form of 8 to 13 round polyethylene plates (approx. 30 cm in diameter, approx. 25 cm high) in which a total of 13 to 15 kg of heavy metal (19.99% enriched uranium) per reactor were embedded. In the fission material bunker in Hanau, they were each stored in a special barrel that was approved as accident-proof transport packaging .

The warehouse was set up in particular because ALKEM was limited in the amount of fissile material to be handled. The federal warehouse therefore functioned primarily as a “buffer warehouse” for ALKEM / Siemens AG. Siemens AG has been planning and operating the dismantling of the Hanau nuclear site since the 1990s. In this context, Siemens AG and the federal government agreed in 2001 that the state custody warehouse would vacate the Siemens fissile material bunker by the end of 2005.

The state custody in Hanau was finally closed at the end of 2005. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection has meanwhile removed the last nuclear fuel elements still stored there from four small research reactors. In Hanau there is currently still a nuclear facility operated by Nuclear + Cargo Service GmbH (NCS).

State custody in Berlin

In Berlin-Karlshorst, the Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal Safety (BfE) is currently keeping a plutonium-beryllium neutron source that was used to calibrate measuring devices. The source is a legacy of the State Office for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection of the GDR , which was based in Karlshorst. The neutron emitter has the shape of a cylinder (approx. 6 cm thick and approx. 10 cm high) and contains smaller amounts of nuclear fuel. Polyethylene , a plastic that is also common in everyday use, and a bunker are used to shield the ionizing radiation .

The site is to be abandoned in the future so that apartments can be built there. According to the BfE, there are no restrictions on re-use for reasons of radiation protection. It is not yet clear where the radiation source should be brought. The BfE wants to examine the removal of the source and is considering both national and international options. According to information from the Berlin Nuclear Regulatory Authority, there is currently no suitable transport container available for removal.

State custody in Lubmin

In order to be prepared for an emergency, three parking spaces for castor casks are reserved for the Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal Safety in the Interim Storage Facility North (ZLN) near Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), on which found or seized nuclear fuels can be stored. This is a precautionary measure to protect the population.

See also

literature

  • Status report on the use of nuclear energy in the Federal Republic of Germany 2016 . Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Department of Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Regulatory Supervision in Disposal, p. 45 f., Urn : nbn: de: 0221-2017070714281

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Status report on the use of nuclear energy in the Federal Republic of Germany 2016 . Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Department of Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Regulatory Supervision in Disposal, p. 45 f., Urn : nbn: de: 0221-2017070714281
  2. ↑ State safekeeping of nuclear fuels on the homepage of the Federal Office for Nuclear Safety and Security; accessed on February 4, 2018
  3. ↑ Press release of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection from December 30, 2005 (last accessed on February 4, 2018)
  4. ↑ Article on the homepage of the Hessian Ministry of the Environment; accessed on February 4, 2018
  5. ↑ a b c Joint press release by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection and the Federal Office for Nuclear Waste Disposal Safety from January 31, 2018, accessed on February 4, 2018
  6. ↑ a b c The radioactive legacy of Karlshorst . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 31, 2018; accessed on February 4, 2018