When evaluating possible timeframes for the repository site selection procedure, taking an overall view of the effects of an extended site search on the valid safety architecture of nuclear waste management in Germany is key. This is the conclusion drawn by BASE in a contribution to a public digital introductory workshop organised by the Repository Search Planning Team on 13 January.

At the event, BGE mbH as the implementer of the site search will present its time schedule for the repository search in Germany. At the end of October, BGE mbH had submitted documents to the Federal Ministry for the Environment. BGE mbH has prepared a revised version for the event. A representative of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) will then report on time planning experiences in Germany's neighbouring country. In its presentation, BASE will focus on the site selection procedure, taking into account the factors of safety and time.

The detailed statement of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) on the time requirements and timing of the site search can be found here.

Background

The Site Selection Act stipulates that a decision by the Bundestag on the site is to be sought in 2031. In mid-November 2022, various media channels (dpa on 10 November, Süddeutsche Zeitung on 12 November 2022) reported that the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) mbH now estimates that the site search for a repository for high-level radioactive waste will take much longer than previously assumed. The background for this was a discussion paper on the project schedule of BGE mbH dated 28 October 2022, which the company had submitted to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). BGE mbH now envisages a date between 2046 and 2068 for the designation of a site, depending on the course of the search procedure.