Christian Kühn took office today as the new President of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE). Kühn was welcomed by the 450 BASE employees both at the headquarters in Berlin-Charlottenburg as well as online at the Salzgitter, Cologne and Bonn sites, and gave an initial outlook on his future work.

A native of Tübingen, the 44-year-old had previously served as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. He is very familiar with the various topics covered by BASE, including the supervision of the repository site selection procedure, research, the safety of stored nuclear fuel and the dismantling of facilities. "I am very much looking forward to the tasks that lie ahead. Leading BASE means addressing key social issues, especially the safety of nuclear waste and public participation in the site selection procedure. This is what I intend to do. I want to support the dedicated staff at BASE, and provide further impetus, motivation and advice on nuclear safety," said Kühn.

According to the new BASE President, the aim must be to maintain the socio-political consensus that a deep geological repository offers the best long-term safety for high-level radioactive waste.