Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern für Abfallstoffe

The German Company for the Construction and Operation of Waste Repositories (DBE ) based in Peine is a company specializing in planning, exploration, construction and operation of facilities for safekeeping and disposal of radioactive waste companies. It was founded in 1979.

• 2.1 Planned repository for high level radioactive waste in Gorleben salt dome
• 2.2 Konrad
• 2.3 radioactive waste repository (ERAM )

Background

The company serves to keep open and operational management of the exploration site in Gorleben, the Konrad mine as well as the management and preparation of the decommissioning of the repository for radioactive waste (ERAM ). Through its subsidiary DBE Technology, the company is also responsible for projects related to the management of radioactive waste.

The DBE was founded in 1979 as a 100 % indirect, State-owned enterprises. The company is on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection equipped and worked with special rights. The legal basis is § 9a para 3 Atomic Energy Act ( Atomic Energy Act). . The company was privatized gradually: 1984, German power company shareholders, first with 25 % of the German Society for reprocessing of nuclear fuels ( DWK ). In 1990, the Society for Nuclear Service ( GNS ), whose shareholders are the German operators of nuclear power plants, the proportions of the DRC, and gradually increased its share to 75%. Only 25 % of the capital since 2008 belong to the state-owned energy Nord.

DBE Technology

The engineering company DBE Technology GmbH, based in Peine is a 100 % subsidiary of the DBE. It was founded in 2000 and serves the activity outside the assigned tasks by the federal government in national and international projects in the disposal of radioactive waste. Focus of DBE Technology are in the areas of radioactive substances, development of waste management strategies and planning of waste management measures, mining, cavern construction, tunneling and civil engineering. Sales of the daughter was EUR 6.7m in the financial year 2012.

Supervised objects

Planned repository for high level radioactive waste in Gorleben salt dome

For the investigation of the Gorleben salt dome in terms of its suitability as a repository location for all types of radioactive waste, the DBE has handled since 1979 a geoscience program. Based on the consensus agreement of June 2000, a moratorium (exploration interruption) for a period of three to ten years has been agreed for Gorleben.

Konrad

In the former iron ore mine Konrad ( Konrad ) was conducted from 1976 to 1982, a fact-finding and investigation program for suitability statement for the disposal of radioactive waste with low heat generation. The then initiated plan approval process was completed on 22 May 2002. After last instance to confirm the award for Konrad was started with the establishment of the technical facilities for the disposal and storage chambers. A first storage was planned in 2008 for 2013. After notification of the DBE in 2010 was not ausgegangen.Die of a completion and commissioning in 2019 Prosecutor of Bochum and the Bundeskartellamt examined in 2013 the suspicion of a cartel formation of special mining companies to the detriment of DBE after a competitive tender by the Authority.

Radioactive waste repository (ERAM )

The pit Bartensleben ( repository for radioactive waste repository ) in 1970 selected from ten salt mines for use as underground repository for radioactive waste. From 1971 until the cessation of storage were disposed of a total of 36 752 m³ of radioactive waste and 6,621 sources in 1998. The cost of the closure of the mine are estimated at 2.2 billion euros.

Criticism

According to critics, the contracts for the disposal of radioactive waste included many warranted privileges, which originated from the time when the company was still working as a federal enterprise: Secure transactions with guaranteed profits, de facto tenure and non-disclosure clause in a secret cooperation agreement. As from 1984, boarded private shareholders, these contracts had not been changed. The disposal! Give therefore to the four major energy companies E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall Europe in the face of unilateral contract situation a high return. The reviewers gave rise to a parliamentary inquiry in 2008 the Alliance 90/The Grünen.Der then Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel called on 21 April 2009, the DBE to convert it into a public company back because he saw an interweaving of different interests.