Closer to the border? Germany no longer considers the Ore Mountains for a nuclear waste repository

Germany has so far ruled out five federal states in its search for a site for a permanent nuclear waste repository, including Saxony, which borders Czechia. The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) announced this today. In Saxony, BGE had initially considered the Ore Mountains, which are crossed by the Czech-German border. Sites in Bavaria, including near the Czech Forest and Šumava, remain under consideration close to the Czech border. BGE is gradually narrowing down the potential sites for the repository. The Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, will ultimately make the final decision on the repository, which Germany wants to have completed by 2050.

The search officially began in 2017. Initially, the area under consideration covered all of Germany, but experts have gradually ruled out certain regions after assessing their geological conditions. As recently as 2020, the search covered 54 percent of Germany’s land area.

Saarland was completely excluded from the assessment in 2020, followed by Rhineland-Palatinate last year. This year, BGE ruled out all the areas under consideration in Saxony, Hesse and Berlin. This means that the possibility of building a permanent nuclear waste repository is no longer being considered in these five of Germany’s 16 federal states.

Last year, BGE reduced the search area to 25 percent of Germany’s land area. According to DPA, the regions now under consideration account for significantly less than five percent of the country.

The specific areas under consideration can be explored on an interactive map, which will be available on BGE’s website from 14:00 CET after it is updated. However, the revised map is included in the press release BGE issued today.

At this stage, experts are considering geological conditions alone. They are gradually tightening the geological safety and stability criteria, leading to some sites being ruled out. Factors such as proximity to densely populated areas will be taken into account by experts only in later stages.

By the end of 2027, BGE plans to propose areas for surface investigation. The final decision on where the repository will be built rests with lawmakers. A repository for 27.000 cubic metres of highly radioactive waste generated over 60 years of nuclear power plant operation in Germany should be completed by 2050 at the latest. German nuclear waste is currently held at 16 interim storage facilities in various parts of the country.

A site for permanent disposal of nuclear waste is also being sought in Czechia. The repository is likewise intended to be completed by 2050, although the site could be selected by 2030. The Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) is working with four potential areas for the repository: Horka and Hrádek in the Vysočina Region, Janoch near the Temelín nuclear power plant in South Bohemia, and Březový potok in the Klatovy District.