When nuclear facilities are decommissioned and dismantled, radioactive residues and waste are generated, and their storage is taken into account already during decommissioning planning.

Before radioactive waste generated during dismantling can be transferred to a repository for low- and intermediate-level waste ready to receive it, the waste must first be treated (conditioned), packaged, and stored in an interim storage facility. The management of available storage areas for residual materials and waste generated within the nuclear facility is particularly important for the efficiency and progress of dismantling.

Storage types

Depending on the purpose and duration of storage, a distinction is made between the following storage types:

• Interim storage facility:

  In an interim storage facility, conditioned waste packages are temporarily stored until they can be transferred to a final repository ready to receive them. A distinction is made between interim waste storage facilities (for low- and intermediate-level waste) and interim storage facilities for spent fuel. Facilities can also be distinguished by location (decentralised or centralised) – see also interim storage sites.

• Buffer storage:

  A buffer storage facility ensures a smooth transition between successive processing steps.

• Decay storage:

  Decay storage serves to reduce activity through radioactive decay. Residual materials, including large components, are stored in decay storage facilities until they can be cleared for release from nuclear regulatory supervision or further treated. Decay storage is applied, for example, to dismantled metal scrap and to large undismantled components such as reactor pressure vessels or steam generators.

• Transport preparation storage:

  Residual material or waste packaged for transport is stored in a transport preparation facility until it is handed over to external facilities.

Provision of storage capacities

Applications for the decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear power plants submitted to the competent Länder authorities address various options for providing the required storage capacities on a plant-specific basis:

• Existing internal or external storage facilities may be used,
• rooms and areas within the nuclear power plant may be converted into storage facilities, or
• new storage facilities may be constructed near the site.

Why sufficient storage capacities are necessary

In the past, storage capacities were established for residual materials and waste from decommissioning projects. Adequate storage capacities are essential and will continue to be required even after the commissioning of the Konrad repository. This is because waste must first be processed, packaged, and temporarily stored on site. In addition, the future Konrad repository can only accept a limited volume of low- and intermediate-level waste per year, and transfers must follow a coordinated schedule agreed with all waste producers.

Ensuring sufficient storage capacity for residual materials and waste also optimises the dismantling process within the plant to be decommissioned, as plant components can be dismantled independently of the subsequent dismantling and further treatment of stored residual materials and large components.