Schacht Konrad
Encyclopedia
The pit Konrad is a former iron ore mine proposed as a deep geological repository
for medium- and low level radioactive waste in the city Salzgitter
in the Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg
in southeast Lower Saxony
, Germany
, located between Hildesheim
and Braunschweig
. It has two shafts : Konrad I and Konrad II.
(PTB) started the plannings procedure on 31 August 1982. The Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz
, the Ministry of Environment of Lower Saxony and the Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe
discussed the issue between September 1992 and March 1993. On 22 May 2002 the license for the final deep geological storage of medium- and low level radioactive waste was approved.
Several complaints against the license were filled at the Oberverwaltungsgericht Lüneburg
. Key action points were the long-term safety, the safety studies were 25 years old and little based on facts, accidents, transport of radioactive waste, radioactive exposure to the population in the area, possible terrorist attacks, the lack of a comparative assessment with other locations and the planning jurisdiction of municipalities. The hearing was on February 28 - March 2 2006. The Oberverwaltungsgericht Lüneburg dismissed the cases as ungrounded in March 2006. Given the fundamental importance of the ruling individual plaintiffs still sought a revision to the Federal Administrative Court of Germany
(by non-admission complaint), which however was not accepted in 2007.
The license approves the storage of up to 303,000 m³ of low- and medium level radioactive waste. After the initial phase of final storage to clear the backlog of 88,000 m³ waste in other locations the expected traffic is 10 road freight vehicles and one train of 20 freight wagons per week.
By the end of 2007 around 945 million
euros has been spent on reconnaissance and planning, for the remaining necessary measures such as the upgrading of the mine and completion of the disposal site the costs are estimated at another 900 million euros.
After the storage of the radioactive containers, the sectional shafts will be closed with concrete for the permanent storage of the nuclear waste.
Deep geological repository
A deep geological repository is a nuclear waste repository excavated deep within a stable geologic environment...
for medium- and low level radioactive waste in the city Salzgitter
Salzgitter
Salzgitter is an independent city in southeast Lower Saxony, Germany, located between Hildesheim and Braunschweig. Together with Wolfsburg and Braunschweig, Salzgitter is one of the seven Oberzentren of Lower Saxony...
in the Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg
Metropolitan region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg
The Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen-Wolfsburg Metropolitan Region is an economic and cultural region in Northern Germany. The metropolitan area comprises approximately one third of the area of Lower Saxony, with almost half the inhabitants of the state...
in southeast Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, located between Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
and Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. It has two shafts : Konrad I and Konrad II.
History
The iron ore deposits have been mined since the start of the industrialization in the Salzgitter area. The first activities began in 1867. The shaft Konrad is the youngest of the former iron ore mines in this region. It has two shafts, of which Schacht Konrad I, is approximately 1232 meters and Schacht Konrad II is around 999 meters deep. The mining operation on Konrad lasted from 1961 to 1976. During this period, a total of 6.7 million tonnes of iron ore were retrieved.Authorization for radioactive waste disposal
The shaft Konrad is an unusually dry iron ore mine. Since this is one of the criteria for a deep final repository for radioactive waste, the studies on the possibility of a disposal site were started in 1975. The Physikalisch-Technische BundesanstaltPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt is based in Braunschweig and Berlin. It is the national institute for natural and engineering sciences and the highest technical authority for metrology and physical safety engineering in Germany....
(PTB) started the plannings procedure on 31 August 1982. The Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz
Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz
The Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz is the German Federal Authority for Radiation Protection. The BfS was established in November 1989, the headquarter is located in Salzgitter, with branch offices in Berlin, Bonn, Freiburg, Gorleben, Oberschleißheim and Rendsburg. It has 708 employees and an annual...
, the Ministry of Environment of Lower Saxony and the Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe
Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe
The Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe mbH is founded in 1979 and based in Peine...
discussed the issue between September 1992 and March 1993. On 22 May 2002 the license for the final deep geological storage of medium- and low level radioactive waste was approved.
Several complaints against the license were filled at the Oberverwaltungsgericht Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
. Key action points were the long-term safety, the safety studies were 25 years old and little based on facts, accidents, transport of radioactive waste, radioactive exposure to the population in the area, possible terrorist attacks, the lack of a comparative assessment with other locations and the planning jurisdiction of municipalities. The hearing was on February 28 - March 2 2006. The Oberverwaltungsgericht Lüneburg dismissed the cases as ungrounded in March 2006. Given the fundamental importance of the ruling individual plaintiffs still sought a revision to the Federal Administrative Court of Germany
Federal Administrative Court of Germany
The Federal Administrative Court is one of the five federal supreme courts of Germany. It is the court of the last resort for generally all cases of administrative law, mainly disputes between citizens and the state...
(by non-admission complaint), which however was not accepted in 2007.
The license approves the storage of up to 303,000 m³ of low- and medium level radioactive waste. After the initial phase of final storage to clear the backlog of 88,000 m³ waste in other locations the expected traffic is 10 road freight vehicles and one train of 20 freight wagons per week.
By the end of 2007 around 945 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
euros has been spent on reconnaissance and planning, for the remaining necessary measures such as the upgrading of the mine and completion of the disposal site the costs are estimated at another 900 million euros.
Foundation GmbH
For the takeover of state-specific responsibilities, which the city and the region Salzgitter bear, a foundation GmbH is proposed by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The energy companies initially bring in 30 million euros with further payments over an initial period of 30 years of service. The federal government will contribute from 2009 to 2043 700,000 euros per year. The fund will compensate for the lack of tax revenues since the operation of the shaft Konrad like any other business uses the infrastructure in the area of Salzgitter but is relieved from VAT and local tax measures.Conversion
The establishment of the technical installations for the disposal and storage chambers started. The conversion will take several years, storage is scheduled to start in 2013. Clustered storage chambers form a storage depot. In total, up to nine storage depots are projected on the existing main soles on 800, 850, 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1300 m depth. The storage chambers are created with a diameter of about 40 m² with a bottom width of about 7 meters and a height of about 6 meters. Its length should be - depending on the geological and mining technical conditions - 100 to 1000 meters.After the storage of the radioactive containers, the sectional shafts will be closed with concrete for the permanent storage of the nuclear waste.
See also
- Repository for radioactive waste MorslebenRepository for radioactive waste MorslebenThe repository for radioactive waste Morsleben is a deep geological repository for radioactive waste in the rock salt mine Bartensleben in Morsleben, district Börde in the federal state Saxony-Anhalt.-History:...
- Salt dome GorlebenSalt dome GorlebenThe salt dome Gorleben is a proposed deep geological repository in a salt dome in Gorleben in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district in the far north-east of Lower Saxony for low-, medium- and high-level radioactive waste.-Site selection:...
- Shaft miningShaft miningShaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
- Schacht Asse IISchacht Asse IIThe Asse II pit is a former salt mine used as a deep geological repository for radioactive waste in the mountain range of Asse in district Wolfenbüttel in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:...