BGE TEC at IGD‑TP Exchange Forum 2025: CHRISTA III, EURAD 2 and a visit to the Buckow underground lab

The 10th IGD‑TP Exchange Forum took place from 24 to 28 November 2025 in Prague, under the theme “RD&D Challenges from Siting to Industrialisation”. Organised by the Implementing Geological Disposal of radioactive waste Technology Platform (IGD‑TP), the forum aims to foster strategic European cooperation in the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste. This year, 121 participants from 17 countries joined the event.

BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH (BGE TEC) and representatives of BGE took part with two scientific posters:

• “Fundamentals of long-term safety assessments for a high-level waste (HLW) repository concept in crystalline rock”
  This contribution highlights initial results from the CHRISTA III research project conducted by BGE TEC, focusing on methodological development for safety assessments in crystalline host rock.
• “EURAD 2 OPTI – On a way to a mutual understanding about optimisation”
  Presented on behalf of BGE, this poster supports ongoing European efforts under EURAD 2 to develop a shared understanding of optimisation principles in radioactive waste disposal.

Both posters were presented during the forum’s poster session. Dr André Lommerzheim from BGE TEC engaged in professional dialogue with international peers to discuss the approaches in detail.

The event concluded with a visit to the Buckow underground laboratory in Poland, where participants explored the experimental setup and learned about the results of several in-situ trials – providing valuable insights into applied repository research under realistic subsurface conditions.

The CHRISTA III poster is now available for download in our media library. The photo gallery below captures impressions from the Exchange Forum and the Buckow excursion.