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The Konrad repository for not heat generating radioactive wastes was licensed first in 2002. But due to legal actions this license has not been finally confirmed before 2007. Subsequently, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) began scheduling backfitting of the former iron ore mine into a repository. The licensed repository volume is 303,000 m3 based on estimations of expected waste volumes to be disposed off although the mine itself would offer a much larger volume. Once the repository is ready for Operation, waste packages can be disposed, but this is not expected before the end of this decade. Nevertheless, there is already today a great interest in qualified and certified waste conditioning and packaging for disposal requiring Containers, tested, evaluated and certified by BAM and BfS.
Key points of the Konrad license concern comprehensive requirements for waste products and Containers. Details are described in BfS reports, which constitute the basic documents for the license. Following the final license confirmation a revision of these documents has been requested in order to include considerations of water poisoning substances. This work is currently done by BfS in Cooperation with the NLWKN of Lower Saxony and the Institute for Safety Technology (ISTec). Concerning the specification for Containers themselves no or only minor changes are expected.
The German approach of storing spent nuclear fuel in dual purpose casks until final disposal is based on individually licensed storage sites concerning specific nuclear inventories and dual purpose cask types. The currently approved license period is maximum 40 years.
With nuclear policy changes including the phase-out decision of 2011 and a new approach for the HLW repository siting process set up 2013 by law also the spent fuel and HLW management strategy has to be adapted. This includes the timely development of disposal container concepts as part of the overall repository siting process and the need for longer interim storage periods until final disposal. Other aspects affect new regulations about the financing of the nuclear waste management by the industry and the public sector, the restructuring of responsible authorities in 2016/2017 and the adaption of R&D funding programs addressing also pre-disposal (or extended interim storage) issues.
BAM as a Federal Research Institute has been responsible for or in charge of container safety Evaluation for transport and storage casks for radioactive waste for several decades and started addressing potential Extended interim storage issues already several years ago. This included participation in international projects at the IAEA or in the U.S. Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) as well as long term laboratory tests with metal seals, elastomeric seals and polymers for neutron shielding purposes. Test results of BAM are published regularly and gained data provide valuable information about thermo-mechanical and radiological degradation effects as well as the long term Performance of respective cask components. Regarding the reliable extrapolation and prediction of the long term Performance of cask materials and components for time periods of up to 80 or even 100 years the continuation and extension of laboratory tests and the development of analytical and numerical simulation models and tools is essential and under way.
Dry cask storage of spent fuel and high active waste front reprocessing is licensed and established in Germany for up to 40years so far. About 10years ago, the strategy has been shifted from centralized storage using facilities in Ahaus and Gorleben to cit-site storage facilities in Order to avoid immediate cask shipping from nuclear power plants. At present, several hundred casks are stored safeiy and without any major problem. BAM is highly involved in cask specific safety evaluations within the scope of licensing procedures as well as of quality assurance procedures during cask fabrication, loading and storage.
A major prerequisite for any cask storage license is a valid transport Type B license. Subsequently, cask transportability has to be ensured at any point during the entire storage period. So far, this requirement is met by continuous maintenance of the Type B license. Anyhow, IAEA Type B regulations do not consider permanently loaded storage casks that have the sole purpose of being finally shipped öfter decades of storage inducing ageing effects. No transport safety demonstration has to be performed on aged cask components.