German-Japanese Cooperation

Since 2018, BGE – together with its subsidiary BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH – has maintained a bilateral cooperation agreement with the "Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO)". NUMO is the Japanese counterpart of BGE. The cooperation is intended to establish a highly effective and structured exchange of experience between the organizations.

Within this context, a joint project to exchange information on the state of the art in science and technology concerning the underground transport of waste containers for high-level radioactive waste will start at the beginning of 2022. The work is divided into three work packages. BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH will document the state of the art of the shaft hoisting technology for waste containers for high-level waste as well as the state of the art of emplacement devices for containers for low- and intermediate-level waste in Germany. Furthermore, the drafts for the shaft and ramp transportation technology developed by the Japanese colleagues will be reviewed. The cooperation will thus provide an insight into the respective planning statuses and the technical solutions selected for underground transport.