BGE awards design planning contract for retrieval of radioactive waste from 750-metre level

The Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) has awarded the design planning contract for the retrieval of radioactive waste from the 750-metre level of the Asse II mine to the bidding consortium “EPL RH 750-m”. This consortium is made up of the companies Uniper Anlagenservice GmbH, Redpath Deilmann GmbH, TÜV Rheinland Industrieservice GmbH, and ERCOSPLAN Ingenieurgesellschaft Geotechnik und Bergbau GmbH.

Design planning is the second out of a total of four planning phases for the retrieval of radioactive waste from the Asse. Phase 1 involved drawing up concept plans, which will then be put into more concrete terms in Phase 2 as part of design planning before being finalised in Phase 3 as part of planning for licensing and implementation. This is then followed by the fourth and last phase: construction.

Aim of design planning

The contractors are drawing up design plans for the complete retrieval of radioactive waste from the 750-metre level of the Asse II mine as an extension of the existing concept plans. Among other things, the aim of design planning is to demonstrate compliance with the licensing requirement that the necessary precautions against damage have been taken in accordance with the state of the art of science and technology (see section 9(2), Atomic Energy Act).

The contractor also draws up the dimensions of the required installations, systems and components, as well as those of the mining work (for example, infrastructure spaces, excavations, stabilisation measures) for the project. The entire design planning process is expected to be completed within 48 months.

“Awarding the contract is the next step in the time-critical journey towards safe decommissioning of the Asse mine. The 750-metre level holds by far the largest quantity of radioactive waste and poses the greatest challenges, including due to the instability of the emplacement chambers,” says Dr Thomas Lautsch, Technical Managing Director of the BGE.

The BGE has not created any irrevocable facts by awarding this contract; rather, it is continuing to work consistently towards retrieval of the radioactive waste from the Asse mine as agreed in the enlightenment process regarding site selection for the planned waste treatment plant along with the interim storage facility.

About the BGE

The BGE is a federally owned company within the portfolio of the Federal Environment Ministry. On 25 April 2017, the BGE assumed responsibility from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection as the operator of the Asse II mine and the Konrad and Morsleben repositories. Its other tasks include searching for a repository site for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste produced in Germany on the basis of the Repository Site Selection Act, which entered into force in May 2017. The managing directors are Stefan Studt (Chair), Steffen Kanitz (Deputy Chair) and Dr Thomas Lautsch (Technical Managing Director).