Exploring and shaping together

Start for participation concept until the beginning of the regional conferences - Joint press release by the representatives of the former expert conference on sub-areas and the young generation, BASE and the participation officer.

Over the past two months, civil society representatives and the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) have worked together in an open design process to develop a joint concept on how the public can be involved in the next steps of the repository search. The resulting first version, supported by all representatives, was presented, and launched in a public online event on 13 November.

Representatives from the former expert conference on sub-areas, who had been commissioned by the participants of the expert conference at the end of their work in August 2021, were involved in the design of the concept. A group of young people who want to establish an independent council of the young generation for the search for a repository also took part. The discussions were mediated by the Participation Officer together with BASE, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) mbH and the National Citizens’ Oversight Committee (NBG).

Focus on BGE mbH’s work progress

The focus of participation is on the work of the company commissioned with the search. For it is now the task of BGE mbH to narrow the - previously only broadly determined - area of sub-areas with potentially favourable geological characteristics down to a few regions, where detailed on-site explorations will be carried out in a later step. For the period leading up to the proposal for siting regions, the jointly designed concept offers additional opportunities for participation, comprehensibility, and transparency. BGE mbH has announced a timetable for this phase for spring 2022.

Two central participation elements: Expert forum plus advisory and planning group

The joint participation concept essentially envisages two elements of participation: an expert forum and an advisory and planning group. The expert forum is to take place at least once a year and is open to the public. This is where interested parties will be able to discuss the work progress of BGE mbH with regard to identifying the siting regions. The first expert forum is planned for spring 2022. BGE mbH shall be obliged to consider the results of the expert forum in its future work.

In addition, an advisory and planning group (BPG) will closely and continuously accompany the work of BGE mbH in the future. The BPG will also advise when and on which aspects of the work the public should be involved in the expert forum. A joint dialogue will facilitate the identification of potential conflicts and solutions at an early stage. The group will consist of ten representatives of civil society and two representatives each from BASE, BGE mbH and NBG. Civil society shall encompass citizens, representatives of municipalities, social organisations, the young generation and academia. They will be elected by the expert forum. The aim of the work is to develop a joint approach to conflictual issues. The focus of this work shall be on the common good - finding a final repository site.

Learning from experience

The expert forum and the advisory and planning group are designed to be so-called prototypes or first versions. The goal is to jointly evaluate the initial work experiences at the first expert forum in spring 2022. The formats can be adapted and readjusted. BASE will provide organisational support as well as the necessary resources. The participants of the online event have directly elected eight members who will be responsible for the work leading up to the first expert forum. Together with representatives of the young generation, BASE and the NBG, they will accompany the work of BGE mbH and prepare the first expert forum.

Background on Repository Search

The search for a final repository site for high-level radioactive waste in Germany on the basis of the Site Selection Act (StandAG) is in Step 2 of Phase 1: The sub-areas identified by BGE mbH are narrowed down to a few siting regions. This means that the procedure is in the middle of the first of three phases in the search process. The Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) mbH - a federally owned company – had published the interim report on sub-areas on 28 September 2020. The report names areas that, in the company's opinion, cannot be excluded from the procedure based on geological data. The areas cover 54 percent of Germany. BGE mbH is the project sponsor, i.e., it evaluates geological data and will carry out surface and underground geological explorations during the further phases. BASE supervises the search for a repository and is responsible for public participation. In the end, the German Bundestag decides on the final repository site by law.