Overview
- The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig rejected the BUND challenge and confirmed the Hessian permit for shutting down and dismantling Block A, removing the main legal barrier to demolition.
- The court clarified that the 2017 permit covers the demolition itself but does not decide radiological clearance or final handling of removed materials, which are subject to independent radiation‑protection proceedings.
- Project planners and plant operators say the dismantling will produce roughly one million tonnes of rubble and scrap, and that highly radioactive fuel assemblies remain stored on site in Castor casks pending a long‑term disposal solution.
- The environmental group BUND argued the environmental‑impact review did not properly assess risks from weakly contaminated debris going to landfill, an issue the court left to the separate radiation‑protection process.
- Practical next steps include detailed technical planning for large‑scale waste handling, local regulator decisions on low‑level waste disposal, and the start of on‑site dismantling under the upheld permit.