No. 12/18 – 3D seismic measurements in the vicinity of the Asse II mine

In the coming year, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) plans to carry out 3D seismic measurements in the vicinity of the Asse II mine. The measuring area covers 37.5 square kilometres and includes the villages of Klein Biewende, Remlingen, Wittmar, and parts of Sottmar in the area south-west of the Asse mountain range as well as the villages of Groß Vahlberg, Mönchevahlberg, Weferlingen, and parts of Dettum north-east of the mountain range.

In order to carry out the necessary field measurements, the consent of the land owners and managers is required. Since the beginning of November 2018, IPS Informations & Planungsservice GmbH has been on the road in the measurement area on behalf of the BGE in order to provide information about the work and to obtain the necessary access rights for the properties.

Around 45,500 receiver stations (geophones) are to be installed in the measurement area. During the measurement period from October 2019 to March 2020, sound waves will be emitted from around 40,000 excitation points. These are generated by “vibro vehicles” or by small explosive charges in boreholes and reflected by the geological strata underground. The evaluation of the data provides important information about the geological structure of the Asse mountain range. These are an elementary prerequisite for the planning and approval of the retrieval of radioactive waste from the Asse II mine. The reflected sound waves are registered and stored in the geophones.

The BGE is a federally owned company within the portfolio of the Federal Environment Ministry. On 25 April 2017, the BGE assumed responsibility from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection as the operator of the Asse II mine and the Konrad and Morsleben repositories. Its other tasks include searching for a repository site for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste produced in Germany on the basis of the Repository Site Selection Act, which entered into force in May 2017. The managing directors are Stefan Studt (Chair), Steffen Kanitz (Deputy Chair) and Dr Thomas Lautsch (Technical Manager).