Continuing the work that has been going on for more than two years promptly and consistently – this is now one of the most important tasks for those involved in the search for a permanent and safe site for the legacy of using nuclear power. “By this, I primarily mean that we need to make progress in the search that we’ve chosen by consensus in the interest of the common good and safety. The search procedure must be conducted without any prejudice and remain free from influence by any individual interests,” said Wolfram König, President of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BfE), at the start of the second status conference on nuclear disposal in Berlin.

Special public conference on the current work, tasks and further development opportunities in the process

More than 200 representatives from government ministries, public authorities, companies, universities and associations as well as interested members of the public shared ideas on the state of the search for a disposal site for high-level radioactive waste from Thursday to Friday. They discussed the current work, tasks, problems as well as further development opportunities in the process. The event, which was primarily geared towards experts in the field of nuclear disposal, was open to the public. The BfE also set up a livestream for all interested parties.

The credibility of the process

The company commissioned to conduct the search, Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE or the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal), has announced that it will publish its first interim report next year. The report will name the regions that have been ruled out from the ongoing search procedure because of the lack of basic conditions.

“The best evidence for the credibility of the process is to perform the search without prejudice and based on specialist criteria. State boundaries and possible previous pollution, for example, caused by existing nuclear power stations, rightly don’t represent a criterion for exclusion. The search must be guided by safety and the common good,” König added. “This enables us to show some responsibility towards the regions where high-level radioactive waste is currently being stored. Our latest experience shows clearly that only continuing support, particularly from top political figures, can smooth the pathway to finding a disposal site”.

Background: Select Areas Conference and advance information and involvement opportunities

The BfE is supervising the search for a disposal site for high-level radioactive waste and is organising public participation. Once BGE mbH has published its first interim report, the BfE will organise a Select Areas Conference. This will offer a platform where the company can then discuss its interim results with the general public and representatives from the academic world and local authorities.

The Select Areas Conference is the first formal stakeholders’ committee envisaged by the law covering the search for a disposal site. It will focus on the interim results about which areas in Germany must be ruled out and which ones can remain in the process for the time being. Geological data, which BGE mbH has collected, will form the basis for this analysis. The report will not name any sites for further investigation. This is planned to take place in a further stage with other participation opportunities (regional conferences).

The BfE already provides various information and participation formats now and will continue with this until the publication of the first interim report; they are geared towards various target groups like regions, local authorities or young people.