Overview
- BGZ said it will file, by the end of June, an application to extend Gorleben’s interim storage permit until 2054 and limit the request to the 113 Castor containers already on site.
- Filing the application starts an atomrechtliches Genehmigungsverfahren and an environmental impact review that must reassess safety, oversight and technical requirements for the site.
- Local citizen initiatives have rejected the plan as insufficient, staged protests at a BASE status conference and demanded continuous, container-level monitoring plus new, hardened storage halls.
- Critics warn the 20-year term ignores a broader 100-year safety horizon for aging Castor casks and raises questions about funding and whether Kenfo resources will cover needed upgrades.
- If approved, the extension would keep Gorleben in use while the end-of-life repository is chosen mid-century and could set a regulatory precedent for Germany’s other interim stores and their local communities.