Interim storage facilities for fuel elements

Storage buildings for the temporary storage of spent fuelSee 'nuclear fuel'. elements for the periodreactor period between removal from the nuclear power plantThermal power plant, primarily used for electricity generati... and reprocessingApplication of chemical processes to separate the valuable s... or direct ultimate waste disposal. The elements are stored in specially designed cast-iron containers, in particular in so-called Castor® containers which meet all safety functions such as radiationEnergy dispersion through matter or space. In atomic physics... shield, retention of radioactive substancesRadioactive substances within the meaning of the Atomic Ener..., mechanical integrity even in the event of earthquakes and aircraft crashes. These containers are stored in conventional warehouses. The containers are cooled during interim storage by the natural convection of air. Interim storage facilities for spent fuelSee 'nuclear fuel'. elements in Germany are located in Ahaus (North Rhine-Westphalia) with a storage capacity of 3,960 t spent nuclear fuelIn accordance with the definition of the Atomic Energy Act, ... and in GorlebenLocation of several nuclear facilities in Lower Saxony. At t... (Lower Saxony) with a capacity of 3,800 t. A further modified interim storage facility has been established in Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania), in particular for the storage of dismantled reactorSystem used to initiate, maintain and control a fission chai... unit components from the former Greifswald Nuclear Power PlantThermal power plant, primarily used for electricity generati.... Further interim storage facilities are to be built at the sites of the nuclear power plants.