RETURNING RADIOACTIVE-WASTE ARISING FROM REPROCESSING GERMAN FUEL-ELEMENTS ABROAD

In the late seventies and early eighties, German electricity utilities operating nuclear power plants signed contracts on fuel element reprocessing with the Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires (COGEMA) and British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL). The agreements include the option, confirmed by government agreements, of the waste resulting from reprocessing being returned to the respective customer. Some conditions must be met for this purpose. The bulk of the residual radioactivity will be shipped first to Gorleben, after 1993 in storage casks containing HLW canisters under boundary conditions already established. The low and medium level wastes will follow in due course. The technical solutions of the problems encountered are known. Their successful implementation now depends essentially on a smooth completion of the licensing procedures for intermediate storage and final storage.