Bavaria in focus: nuclear waste search brings new hope for repository!

Bavaria in focus: nuclear waste search brings new hope for repository!

The search for a suitable location for a German nuclear waste ending camp takes dramatic twists! The Federal Society for Final storage (BGE) has classified large parts of Northern Bavaria as "unsuitable". The regions in Franconia, north of the axis between Ansbach and Nuremberg, as well as parts of the northern Upper Palatinate are particularly affected. Areas around Lake Chiemsee and Lower Bavaria between Landshut and the Austrian border were also removed from the race. This could be a relief for many citizens in the region!

But the thing is not over yet! Despite the painted surfaces, Bavaria remains a hot plaster in the search for the repository. A large area between Nuremberg, Augsburg and the Bavarian Forest must continue to be examined more precisely. Currently around 44 percent of the German country area are still in the race, since the BGE has not yet made any final decisions. The Bundestag will ultimately decide on the locations to be explored, whereby the final selection should not be determined until the end of 2027.

The challenge of the final bearing search

The BGE has reduced the number of potential locations by around ten percent since its first report in September 2020. At that time, 90 areas were classified as potentially suitable, which corresponded to 54 percent of the area of Germany. Now the search is carried out with a methodology that resembles a hurdle run: security is rated higher with every step, and areas that do not exist fly out. The goal? A safe place for storing 27,000 cubic meters of high -radioactive nuclear waste, which should be safe for a million years!

This dangerous garbage is kept in 16 above -ground intermediate camps all over Germany. The Federal Ministry of the Environment expects that a repository will be found by 2050 - about 20 years later than originally planned. But when this camp can actually be used remains uncertain. The search for the perfect location continues!