Setting the course for the final disposal of highly radioactive waste in Germany

Are geology and technology decisive - or is it rather politics?   

The history of final storage in Germany includes the exploration of the Gorleben-Rambow salt dome and the development of POLLUX® final storage containers. However, it also includes social conflicts, hardened fronts and controversial, not always objective debates. There seemed to be no solution to the waste disposal issue in sight. Has the Site Selection Act succeeded in defusing the conflicts and paving the way for a solution with broad social support? Or do the timetables currently under discussion (with a site decision under "ideal conditions" in 2074) show that there is no solution in sight, but rather a postponement of the problem into the unforeseeable future? How does final disposal in salt, granite or clay work, how are geology and technology connected and what does this mean for the German site selection process? And is the debate about the lifespan of disposal containers in these different host rocks a scientific and technical or a political discussion?

The lecture by Klaus-Jürgen Röhlig, retired TU Clausthal professor for final storage systems, provides insights into the history and current status of the final storage of highly radioactive waste in Germany.