20260224 Atommüll aus dem Blick

The "Asse" is sinking

We have difficulties with digital projects in Germany, as demonstrated by the highway MAUT system, the electronic health card, the electronic patient file, the ALG II project, and many others. But we are also at loggerheads with another technology — nuclear technology. What? We abolished nuclear power plants, didn't we?

This is only partially true, because the nuclear plant in Lingen continues to operate and is even set to be expanded. However, the issue of "failure" is much more relevant when it comes to dealing with the legacy of decommissioned nuclear power plants. We already knew that the 38 billion euros paid by the energy companies to rid themselves of their responsibility for disposing of nuclear waste would not be nearly enough. So taxpayers will have to foot the bill in the far future.

There have also been plenty of "failures" and shifting of responsibility in interim storage, as well as waste that we cannot process here. After recently stumbling across an article (see below) by Greenpeace about the Asse nuclear waste repository near Wolfenbüttel from May 2024, the question arose as to what has been done in the meantime to avert the impending disaster for the groundwater. And the answer is: nothing.

The political establishment is turning a blind eye, and the state authorities are pretending to take action — but nothing is happening. Meanwhile, around 126,000 barrels of nuclear waste are rusting away in the former potash and rock salt mine. The first few thousand barrels were stacked ten high on top of each other, which was also irresponsible. Later, starting in 1974, wheel loaders were used to tip the barrels from the chamber entrance over the embankment into the chamber to save time, according to Greenpeace. Meanwhile, around 9 kg of plutonium, enough for at least one atomic bomb, is stored there, fortunately spread across the 126,000 barrels.

Greenpeace writes about the current condition of the barrels in Asse: "Today, around 12,000 liters of salty groundwater flow into the mine every day – that's equivalent to the contents of around 50 bathtubs". No one is checking how many barrels have rusted through in the meantime. Asse has fulfilled its purpose, because Asse II served as proof of the safe disposal of waste from German nuclear power plants and made their approval possible in the first place. The irony of history is that from 1967 to 1975, no fees were charged for the storage of radioactive waste. Saving the groundwater in the area around Asse by recovering the radioactive sludge in Asse will cost tens of billions and become more expensive with every year of inaction.