Interim Storage Facility Gorleben

From 1990 to mid-2017, GNS was the owner and operator of the Gorleben interim storage facility. On the facility’s site located about two kilometres south of the German municipality of Gorleben, the transport cask storage (TBL-G), the waste storage (ALG) and the pilot conditioning plant (PKA) are located.

Transport Cask Storage (TBL-G)

On a floor space of approx. 5,000 m², TBL-G offers 420 storage positions for transport and storage casks for spent fuel and HLW.

Since 1995, spent fuel elements from nuclear power plants have been stored here in a total of five casks. In addition, the first casks with canisters with vitrified HLW from the reprocessing of German spent fuel elements in France were transported to the TBL-G in 1996. A total of 108 casks, each containing 28 canisters, were taken back from France in twelve shipments, the last of which took place in 2011.

Waste Storage (ALG)

Since 1984, the ALG has been used for the interim storage of packaged low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste, mainly from the operation of German nuclear power plants but also from research and industry. The six storage chambers have a capacity of 4,500 m².

Pilot Conditioning Plant (PKA)

In the PKA, procedures were to be tested for the treatment and packaging of spent fuel elements for final disposal. However, the PKA planned as a multi-purpose facility can also perform other work, such as maintenance and inspections of all types of transport and storage casks, due to its technical facilities.

Reorganisation of Responsibilities

In the course of the reorganisation of the responsibilities in nuclear waste management in Germany, GNS handed over its interim storage activities including the interim storage facilities in Ahaus and Gorleben bundled in BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH to the Federal Government in 2017.