5th Tage der Standortauswahl in Leipzig: Contributions by BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH
Event banner for the 5th Tage der Standortauswahl, held on 23–24 April 2026 in Leipzig.
The 5th Tage der Standortauswahl (Site Selection Days) took place on 23 and 24 April 2026 at the KUBUS venue of the Wissenschaftspark Leipzig. The event series is organised by German universities and non-university research institutions in collaboration with the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE). This year's event was hosted by Technische Universität Dresden and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ. Approximately 250 participants from research institutions, regulatory and technical authorities, and the general public attended a programme covering natural science and engineering aspects, social science perspectives, as well as modelling approaches and issues related to digitalisation in repository research.
BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH (BGE TEC) was represented by six members of staff and contributed a total of seven items to the programme: three presentations, two posters, and two co-authored contributions presented by other institutions.
On behalf of Michael Rahmig, Christian Lerch presented work from the R&D project MEASURES and provided an overview of the current state of knowledge, ongoing research activities, and identified research needs regarding the use of crushed salt in a repository for high-level radioactive waste in rock salt. Dr Tymofiy Gerasimov presented the R&D project KI-Stoff, which aims to develop an approach to automated model calibration for bentonite buffer materials. BGE TEC was additionally represented as co-author on a contribution addressing the BEnKo project, which examines the integrity of waste containers subject to corrosion in crystalline host rock. Dr André Lommerzheim presented the CHRISTA-III methodology for deriving evolutions of repository systems based on technical and geotechnical barriers. These projects are funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) represented by the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA).
BGE TEC also contributed to the presentation of projects funded by BGE. Niklas Bertrams presented results from the R&D project "VerfüllEND", which examines the feasibility of backfilling and sealing measures for a repository for high-level radioactive waste. Dr Gerasimov presented modelling results from the in-situ HotBENT experiment, which investigates bentonite barrier behaviour under hydration and high-temperature conditions. BGE TEC was furthermore represented as co-author on a contribution addressing preliminary repository designs within the framework of the Representative Preliminary Safety Assessments (rvSU), which was presented by BGE.
The 5th Tage der Standortauswahl, an established event within Germany's site selection procedure, promotes exchange between the scientific community, regulatory and technical authorities, and the public on questions relevant to the procedure.
All contributions by BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH are listed in the BGE TEC publications database . The abstracts are also available in the conference abstract volume at www.standorttage2026.de.