Compensation Claims for Nuclear Waste Storage Facilities Are Up in the Air

The debate over financial compensation for municipalities burdened with the responsibility of interim nuclear waste storage has gained new momentum. Josef Klaus, the mayor of Niederaichbach, is demanding annual compensation payments ranging between 800,000 and 1.3 million euros for each affected municipality. Klaus, who is also the chairman of the Working Group of Nuclear Facility Site Municipalities (Asketa), argues that sites such as Gorleben and Ahaus have already received similar payments and raises the issue of equal treatment for all site municipalities. This concern is slated to come into focus at a scheduled Asketa meeting in June, where a uniform compensation from the federal government will be demanded. Klaus emphasizes that, despite the dismantling of former nuclear power plants like Isar 2 in Essenbach, the interim storage facilities continue to exist, and it is uncertain for how long. The maintenance of these areas, which cannot be used for other purposes, incurs ongoing costs for the municipalities and the lost opportunity to use these lands for commercial purposes makes compensation indispensable. With the dismantling of Isar 2 commencing at the beginning of April and Isar 1, which has been in the process of deconstruction since 2017, the urgency of a solution for the site municipalities is increasing. Hence, the demands from Niederaichbach and other affected areas may encounter resolute attention at the federal and state levels.