For the first time in two years, the Essen Expert Discussion on Repository Mining took place again on 8th September 2022, and was very well received (Figure 1). Together with renowned partners, the organizer DMT GROUP, Essen/Germany, discussed current topics of final disposal and offered all participants a forum for the exchange of information and experience. The focus this year was on the final disposal of highly radioactive waste. Not only the situation in Germany was discussed, but also that in the Netherlands and South Korea.
The long-term safe storage of radioactive residues poses numerous challenges and requires the greatest possible expertise. In addition, country-specific solutions have to be developed, for which different framework conditions have to be taken into account in each case, including geological and topographical conditions.
After the opening of the expert discussion by Jens-Peter Lux, Managing Director of the DMT GROUP, four lectures followed, each highlighting different aspects. Steffen Kanitz of the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE), e. g., spoke about the current status in the search for suitable sites, while Thomas Schröder of the Dutch company NRG reported on deep disposal in the Netherlands. Linus Bettermann from the Gesellschaft Nuklear-Service mbH (GNS) dealt with the topic of “Final storage containers for high-level radioactive waste in Germany” and Oliver Rabe from TÜV Nord EnSys GmbH & Co. KG spoke about the preparation of HAW final disposal in South Korea.
The presentations were followed by engaging discussions in which the visitors, including representatives from industry, universities and authorities as well as the press, participated lively. In this way, the discussion kept receiving new impetus.
“The long-term safe final disposal of highly radioactive waste is one of the most challenging tasks of nuclear waste management. The 10th expert talk was a complete success and not only because of the previous forced break. The great interest of the audience was clearly noticeable during the entire event, because a highly topical subject was dealt with here, which is of particular importance today,” commented Lux.
The date for next year’s event has already been set: 7th September 2023. (DMT/Si.)