Safeguards Requirements for the Disposal of High Active Waste in Germany in a Geological Repository

As a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Germany has committed itself to accept safeguards. Safeguards are applied for the purpose of verifying the fulfilment of the obligations assumed under the NPT. According to the safeguards agreement concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), safeguards will be applied to all nuclear material within the state. The IAEA has determined a “Model Integrated Safeguards Approach for Geological Repositories” for generic repositories on how safeguards are to be applied for final disposal of spent fuel in deep geological formations. Currently, the geological repository for spent fuel in Finland is preparing for operation and presently the only safeguarded geological disposal facility for spent fuel.

 

The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (Bundesamt für die Sicherheit der nuklearen Entsorgung, BASE) is part of the regulatory body providing oversight of the site selection process with the mandate to review proposals submitted by the implementer throughout the site selection process. Within the in-house project “SafeEnd”, BASE has evaluated the safeguards requirements in light of the safety requirements stipulated by German law and of safety principles for geological disposal or radioactive waste. This contribution will present some key findings from the evaluation of safeguards requirements, addressing topics such as retrievability and recovery of spent fuel, co-disposal of low and medium active waste as well as general safeguards considerations for disposal programmes for radioactive waste.