Ultimate waste disposal, direct
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Direct ultimate waste disposal means that the entire
fuel element including the valuable substances uranium and plutonium
is disposed of as radionuclide waste following interim storage to allow
decay of the short-lived radionuclides and a related reduction in the
heat generation. In a conditioning plant, the fuel elements are dismantled,
packed in special drums suitable for ultimate disposal before being
stored as radioactive waste in a repository. In Germany, this method
of disposal has been developed supplementing disposal with reprocessing.
The establishment of a pilot conditioning plant in Gorleben is intended
to verify the technical feasibility of conditioning spent fuel elements.
In parallel, a demonstration programme proved the safe handling and
the safe inclusion of conditioned fuel elements in a repository. The
amendment of the Atomic Energy Act 1994 provided the legal prerequisites
for direct ultimate waste disposal in Germany. According to the agreement
between the Federal Government and the nuclear power plant operators,
the disposal of spent fuel elements from nuclear power plants will be
limited to direct ultimate waste disposal from 1st July 2005
onwards.
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11 - 15 March 2018
Munich, Germany
30 September - 04 October 2018
Prague, Czech Republic |
