Search for nuclear waste repository narrows as five states exit

The Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) presented a new status report on Tuesday regarding the search for a permanent repository for high-level radioactive waste in Germany. BGE Managing Director Iris Graffunder stated that the process is "on schedule" and that all areas have now been categorised. This development marks a significant narrowing of the search area as the country seeks a site to house its nuclear remains.

The narrowing search area

According to the BGE, the number of sub-areas under consideration has dropped from 90 areas covering roughly 25 per cent of the country's land last year to just 36 areas. These remaining 36 sub-areas account for approximately five per cent of Germany's total area.

The BGE has developed an interactive map to categorise the suitability of these regions. On the map, orange indicates unsuitable areas, yellow indicates low suitability, and green represents areas that are acceptable but not optimal. The BGE has identified turquoise areas as the most geologically suitable and is continuing to examine them.

The BGE intends to nominate a "handful" of specific site regions by 2027 for more detailed surface investigations. This proposal will require approval from the Bundestag. While the Site Selection Act sets a deadline of 2031 for a final decision, Graffunder expects a decision by the middle of this century at the latest. Some experts have previously suggested the process could extend into the 2070s.

Regional distribution and exclusions

The current map shows that 11 of the 16 federal states still contain potentially suitable areas. In Niedersachsen, which is already burdened by the Schacht Konrad and Asse nuclear repositories, potential areas remain in the Hannover region, the districts of Peine, Schaumburg, and Osnabrück, as well as in Emsland and the Harz.

In Baden-Württemberg, the Black Forest is under consideration, while areas in Bremen and Hamburg are still being evaluated. In Bayern, a part of the Bavarian Forest is marked as turquoise, despite the state's vehement opposition to hosting a repository.

Several states are no longer part of the search. Berlin, Hessen, and Sachsen are currently excluded from the process, while Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland were excluded previously.

Technical requirements for storage

The proposed repository must be located at least 300 metres underground and surrounded by a rock barrier at least 100 metres thick. This structure is intended to ensure the safe containment of radioactive waste for at least one million years. The BGE is considering granite and clay formations, as well as salt deposits, as potential host rocks.

Germany has produced approximately 28,000 cubic metres of high-level radioactive waste from its nuclear power plants. This volume corresponds to 10,500 tonnes of heavy metal, which is or will be stored in approximately 1,900 Castor containers. This waste includes spent fuel elements from nuclear plants and residues from reprocessing that have been melted into glass.

This piece was generated automatically by an AI model from the sources listed below. It has not been reviewed by a human editor.

Sources

• Atomkraft | Fünf Bundesländer sind bei der Endlagersuche raus — nd
• Endlagersuche: Fünf Bundesländer sind raus — taz