Overview

• Germany’s nuclear-waste regulator authorized the road transfer of 152 Castor containers carrying about 300,000 fuel-element spheres from the former Jülich reactor to the Ahaus interim facility, a route of roughly 170 kilometers.
• The transport permit is valid until August 31, 2027 and takes immediate effect, with scheduling to be set by the operator in coordination with NRW oversight and police; no start date has been announced.
• Heavy road convoys are planned with four suitable vehicles moving one container at a time, with possible bundling of trips, making this one of the largest nuclear-waste road operations in Germany in decades.
• BASE also approved two road shipments from the Garching research reactor near Munich to Ahaus covering ten fuel elements, with authorization valid through May 31, 2027.
• Context and reaction: Jülich’s storage license expired in 2013 and clearance was ordered in 2014; a court ruling upheld Ahaus storage, NRW officials and the police union warn of major logistical strain, Ahaus is weighing legal steps, and the federal government estimates about €450 million in savings versus building a new Jülich facility.