Around 700 citizens took part in the event to protest against the federal government's policy.
During her visit, the Federal Environment Minister informed herself about the situation and the state of resistance in the region. The aim was to regain the trust that has been lost among the population. In addition, she discussed the future of Schacht Konrad as the only German repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste to date with representatives of the "Konrad stoppen - statt erweitern" ("Stop Konrad - instead of expanding") campaign alliance, members of the Salzgitter city council and representatives of the region (chief administrative officers of the region, members of the Bundestag and state parliament) in the Kulturscheune in Lebenstedt.
In his opening speech at the panel discussion, Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel made it clear that it was important for the Federal Environment Minister to create trust. "The fears and concerns in the region cannot simply be brushed aside". The region is asking questions such as: Why is Schacht Konrad not included in the open-ended site search? Why is there no discussion about the required retrievability of nuclear waste at Schacht Konrad? The region's appeal, signed by six cities, four districts and nine municipalities, sends an important signal for joint action and unity in the region.
Barbara Hendricks said that she was sticking to the planned commissioning of the Konrad mine because the former ore mine had been approved for the storage of low- and medium-level radioactive waste. Although the approved 303,000 cubic meters will not be sufficient for all of Germany's low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste, she could neither rule out nor announce at this stage whether the Konrad mine would be extended. An open-ended nationwide search for further repository sites will continue until 2031. This concerns not only the disposal of low and medium-level radioactive waste, but also the low and medium-level radioactive waste from the Asse and Gronau.
She assured that the Federal Office for Radiation Protection would carry out a scientific and technical review before commissioning the Konrad mine and make any necessary adjustments. The retrievability demanded by the opponents was not an issue that was still being discussed because the Final Repository Commission had not demanded this. According to the Federal Environment Minister, Schacht Konrad should be put into operation as quickly and as safely as possible.
For Ursula Schönberger, member of the board of directors of the Schacht Konrad working group, this is a contradiction. She demanded that the Konrad mine be inspected according to the latest scientific and technical standards. According to her scientific knowledge, if this were to be done, Konrad would be ruled out as a final repository.
Wolfram König, Head of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, pointed out that the safety requirements would be reviewed before commissioning. Issues such as the need for improvements are currently the subject of public debate.
This was not enough for Ulrich Markurth, Lord Mayor of Braunschweig. There was no longer any trust in the region because of the Asse. He demanded that those responsible for these nuclear waste problems should take responsibility. This was also emphasized by Klaus Mohrs, Lord Mayor of Wolfsburg. He was concerned that there was no discussion about retrievability. Hans-Hermann Baas, Mayor of Lengede, and Thomas Pink, Mayor of Wolfenbüttel, referred to the unsuitable transportation routes. Thomas Brych, District Administrator of the district of Goslar, emphasized that the demands in the "Appeal of the Region" should be included in the search for a site.
The Federal Environment Minister promised that a new transport study would be carried out in 2020. In her opinion, the Asse should not be equated with the Konrad mine, as this would not be good for the region. She emphasized that the Asse concept had failed, but that these mistakes would not be repeated in Salzgitter. However, she could not meet the demands of the region.
These statements were disappointing for everyone, emphasized Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel on behalf of the participants. On the other hand, he was proud that the region was standing together as one. He made it clear that the region would continue to fight together to ensure that the expansion of Konrad was ruled out, that retrievability was discussed and that the repository was reassessed according to today's standards. "Only an open-ended search for a location can create trust," said the Lord Mayor.
