Exchange with BASE on the Site Selection Procedure: BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH at DAEF
Representatives of DAEF member institutions and BASE during the two-day meeting held in Berlin on 20 and 21 May, 2026. Photo: ©BASE
On 20 and 21 May, 2026, a two-day meeting of the German Working Group on Repository Research (Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Endlagerforschung, DAEF) took place in Berlin. The meeting was hosted by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) and held at its premises. BASE is a permanent guest at DAEF meetings. As a founding member of DAEF, BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH was represented by its Managing Director, Dr Thilo von Berlepsch, and the Head of Research and Development, Dr Christian Müller.
At the opening of the meeting, the President of BASE, Christian Kühn, provided an overview of the organisation’s activities and subsequently participated in an in-depth exchange with the attendees. BASE is the federal authority responsible for the safety of nuclear waste management in Germany. It supervises the legally regulated site selection procedure for a repository for high-level radioactive waste and is responsible for public participation within this process.
During the subsequent sessions, participants discussed the status of the site selection procedure and the associated scientific challenges. The discussions covered a broad range of topics, including geological and engineering issues as well as sociotechnical and transdisciplinary aspects. Among the subjects addressed were methodological approaches to site analysis, research requirements for the forthcoming phases of the site selection procedure, and questions concerning the long-term qualification of scientific personnel. The meeting was chaired by Professor Oliver Sträter of the University of Kassel, who serves as Chair of DAEF.
Attention was given to the long-term preservation of expertise. The site selection procedure extends across several generations and requires the continuous transfer of technical and scientific knowledge.
The site selection procedure is entering an increasingly concrete phase. In autumn 2027, the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) is expected to submit a proposal for potential site regions. Subsequently, regional conferences will be organised in the affected regions to facilitate public participation.
DAEF was founded in Berlin on 16 January, 2013, and is an association of German institutions whose research activities focus on the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH has been a member of the association since its establishment. The organisation comprises 14 members, including research centres, universities, specialist organisations, and industrial companies. In addition to member institutions, DAEF meetings are attended by representatives of federal ministries, federal and state authorities acting on their behalf, and project management organisations with responsibilities related to repository research.
DAEF considers itself an independent association dedicated to the safe disposal of radioactive waste and the continuous advancement of the associated scientific and technical expertise, taking into account socio-economic aspects. This also includes scientific issue relating to the selection of a site for a deep geological repository.