One result of the agreement on the future utilisation of nuclear energy signed by the Federal Government and the utility companies on June 14, 2000, is the moratorium imposed on the Gorleben exploration mine. It entered into force on October 1, 2000, and was to be for a period of 3 to 10 years. The Federal Environment Ministry justified the moratorium with doubts concerning the suitability of the Gorleben salt dome as a repository. Further exploration has been interrupted in order clarify conceptual and safety-technical issues. In the meantime, only those activities required for keeping the mine open, and not generating new information, are being continued. These costs amount to approx. €30 million per year.