Safe Management and Deep Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Material – Research Perspectives

While the use of nuclear energy is set to be phased out in Germany by mid-April 2023, the management of high-level radioactive material remains a long-term task that will also concern future generations. With the Site Selection Act (StandAG), legislators have defined the regulatory framework for the site selection procedure currently under way for a deep geological repository in Germany. The aim of the procedure is to ensure the greatest possible safety for a period of one million years. The time horizon until the deep repository is closed will in all likelihood extend into the next century. The long-term nature of the project, its great relevance to society and the legislators’ demand for a learning process give rise to special requirements for the design of research programmes and the scientific research landscape.