Abstract
The phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany will take place in 2022. A site for final disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLRW) has not yet been chosen, but a site selection process was restarted by the Site Selection Act in 2017. This Act was based on a recommendation by a commission which also advised to follow up the development of deep borehole disposal (DBD) as a possible option for final disposal of HLRW. This paper describes briefly the status of DBD in Germany and if this option is to be pursued in Germany. Although DBD has some merits, it can only be a real option if supported by research and development. The technical equipment for larger boreholes of the required size will only be developed if there is funding and a feasibility test. Furthermore, any DBD concept must be detailed further, and some requirements of the Act must be reconsidered. Therefore, the support of DBD will likely remain at a low level if there are no political changes.
Highlights
The geological disposal of radioactive waste is well established at an international level with deep borehole disposal (DBD) being one of the long known options [1,2,3]
The containment providing rock zone (CPRZ) is an important term by the German site selection act [18] describing the part of a rock formation in which disposal systems, which are mainly based on geological barriers, ensure the safe containment of radioactive waste in a disposal facility in coaction with the technical and geotechnical seals
The present article summarizes the background and status of DBD in Germany as it can be concluded from two studies [10,36], final report of the commission [17] and the Site Selection Act [18]
Summary
The geological disposal of radioactive waste is well established at an international level with deep borehole disposal (DBD) being one of the long known options [1,2,3]. It is referred by the IAEA as well [4,5]. It is obvious that the idea of disposal of HLRW in deep boreholes has some geological disposal merits, but it has disadvantages which need to be discussed and weighed. The radioactive waste inventory, technology and a concept, which may be applicable to Germany, have already been presented in [11,12,13]. The disposal of LLW and ILW is not considered here
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