German state to take over responsibility for storing nuclear waste

The federal cabinet today decided on draft legislation for a nuclear clean-up pact that would rid utilities of the responsibility for storing Germany’s radioactive waste. Germany’s four nuclear power station operators, RWE, E.ON, EnBW and Vattenfall, are to pay a total of 23.56 billion euros into a state-administered fund to finance interim and final storage of the waste. An additional “risk surcharge” amounts to 6.17 billion euros. This is to reflect that costs could possibly exceed current projections and that the return on capital in the fund could be lower than expected. “We ensure that financing the shut-down, decommissioning and waste disposal is guaranteed in the long term, without one-sidedly burdening the society with the cost, and without endangering the economic situation of the operators,” federal economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a press release. The responsibility for decommissioning and deconstructing the nuclear power plants, as well as packaging the radioactive waste will remain with the utilities. The economy ministry’s goal is that the legislation is implemented before year’s end, after parliamentary approval.

Read the press release in German here and information on the legislation draft in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheet Securing utility payments for the nuclear clean-up.

Please note: The Clean Energy Wire will publish an article on the cabinet decision shortly.