Overview of the Transport of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material in Germany Considering the Development of the Nuclear Industry

Abstract

A survey is presented of the transport of nuclear and other radioactive material in Germany. The amount of transport of spent fuel shipments for more than 25 years is gi ven. For example, at present, more shipments are carried out within Germany to the licensed interim storage facilities since the possibility of a direct final storage was introduced into legislation in 1994. Since the transport is the part of the nuclear fuel cycle which brings the fuel into the closest contact with the public, the general protests against the peaceful use of nuclear energy often culminate in activities during the transport of radioactive material, and the paper reports some particular events in this field. The influence of the development of the nuclear industry in Germany on the shipments of radioactive material is also given. One of the provisions in the shipment approval concerning the German atomic energy law for the licence holder is the ‘48-hours-notification’: this means that at least 48 h in advance, special authorities and also the Federal Office for Radiation Protection have to be informed about the transport (e.g. date and time of the shipment, consignor, consignee, type and mass of the material). Thus, much data exists in the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, especially for the transport of nuclear material and also for the transport of other radioactive material with a high amount of radioactivity (large sources). The choice of the mode of transport plays an important role in various aspects with respect to radiation exposure, physical protection, the use of the packagings, and others, The influence of these issues on the mode of transport is investigated.