Germany removes five states from search for final repository
Less than five per cent of German territory is now considered geologically promising for high-level radioactive waste.
Listen to this article
There is no audio version yet. Request one and an AI voice will read the article aloud.
Read by an AI voice.
Germany has narrowed its search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste further. According to the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung, less than five per cent of the country remains for further investigation, but a final site is still a long way from being chosen.
The states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Berlin, Saxony and Saarland are no longer part of the ongoing selection. The precise timeline — Saarland earlier, Rhineland-Palatinate in 2025, and Saxony, Berlin and Hesse in the current assessment round — has not been confirmed.
The BGE first assesses geological suitability. This includes examining, among other things, the composition, thickness and stability of rock layers, possible faults, water flows and historic mining. Granite, salt and clay are generally regarded as possible host rocks for a deep geological repository.
The new map does not mean that less than five per cent is automatically suitable. For now, the areas are considered geologically promising enough to remain in the process. Further investigation will follow before a final site is chosen.
In 2020, the sub-areas identified by the BGE covered approximately 54 per cent of Germany; the stated number of 90 sub-areas has not been confirmed. The selection is being narrowed in stages because the safety of the waste must be demonstrated for a very long period. According to the timetable, specific regions will be proposed for above-ground investigation by the end of 2027.
Germany’s parliament will ultimately decide which regions proceed to the next phase. Under the current timetable, the BGE is aiming for a site around the middle of the century. Until then, the waste will remain in temporary above-ground storage facilities. The latest update is therefore primarily a procedural milestone, not a definitive solution to the waste problem.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The BGE has further limited the potential search areas for a German final repository.
- Five states are no longer part of the ongoing selection.
- The final site has not yet been chosen.
- Germany’s parliament will later decide on the transition to the next phase.
Left
Arguments A final repository should be assessed above all in terms of public safety, transparency and responsibility towards future generations. Regions must not feel that a technical decision is being imposed on them.
Values Environmental protection, public participation and justice between regions and generations.
Consequences More participation, independent oversight and potentially a longer process before a site is designated.
Centre
Arguments The geological selection should first be carried out as independently as possible; social and regional interests should then be weighed in a transparent procedure.
Values Scientific rigour, legal certainty and administrative feasibility.
Consequences A staged choice with public participation, taking account of the need for long-term temporary storage.
Right
Arguments Germany must take responsibility for its own nuclear waste and not allow the decision-making process to continue indefinitely. A clear national choice is needed to prevent local blockages.
Values Administrative decisiveness, national responsibility and safety.
Consequences Faster decision-making and stricter deadlines, with the risk of local opposition and less public support.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The current selection, the five states that have dropped out and the share of less than five per cent have been confirmed in public sources. The article clearly distinguishes between provisional suitability and the final choice of a site.
- confirmed Less than five per cent of Germany remains in the ongoing selection. — Reported by RND on the basis of the BGE’s interim update. source
- confirmed Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Berlin, Saxony and Saarland are out of the ongoing selection. — RND names these five states; the BGE published the current progress update. source
- confirmed In 2020, the designated sub-areas covered approximately 54 per cent of Germany. — The BGE describes the 2020 interim report. source
- confirmed By the end of 2027, specific regions will be proposed for above-ground investigation. — The BGE identifies 2027 as the next important step in the procedure. source
Editor's note
The latest update and the states that have dropped out have been confirmed by the BGE and independent reporting. Less than five per cent is provisionally considered geologically promising, not definitively suitable; the site selection will follow later.Sources
- Endlagersuche für Atommüll: Fünf Bundesländer scheiden aus — RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland
- In autumn 2026, the BGE will provide an insight into the current status of its work — Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung
- FAQ about the repository search — Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „duitsland kernenergie”
- De Telegraaf — „duitsland kernenergie”
- Trouw — „duitsland kernenergie”