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Glossary

Englischsprachiges Glossar

"Löser"show / hide

Pieces of rock which may detach from the roof of a mine opening and fall down or which have already fallen down.

levelshow / hide

A level is understood to be either the lower boundary layer (floor) of a mine opening or the totality of the mine openings mined on a level.

Lex Asseshow / hide

The “Act to Accelerate the Retrieval of Radioactive Waste and Decommission the Asse Mine II” is a new version of Section 57b of the Atomic Energy Act. It creates the legal conditions for accelerating the retrieval of the nuclear waste from the Asse II mine. Retrieval has now been legally defined in the new Asse law as the option to be pursued to decommission the facility.

Among other things, it newly states that no planning approval procedure under the Atomic Energy Act is necessary for retrieval. The law also contains the possibility of diverging from provisions in the Radiation Protection Order, if the necessary radiation protection is still guaranteed. It will also be possible in public procurement law to place orders for Asse II in an accelerated procedure in future.

light-water reactorshow / hide

Nuclear reactors using natural water H2O to brake (moderate) fast neutrons and to remove heat; as opposed to heavy-water reactors working with heavy water D2O (deuterium oxide). Depending on the type, a distinction is made between pressurised water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR).

alternative

lost concrete shieldings (VBA)show / hide

To shield radiation, radioactive waste with higher dose rates are usually equipped with an additional housing made from concrete. Drums containing radioactive waste are emplaced together with the concrete housing and remain in the emplacement chamber. The packaging consisting of drum and concrete shielding is thus 'lost'. In the Asse II mine, altogether 14,779 waste packages with lost concrete shieldings have been stored.

low-level radioactive wasteshow / hide

Radioactive waste, where the containers do not need any additional shielding when being handled.

© Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management