BASE Topics
The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management performs regulatory, licensing and supervisory tasks for the federal government in the areas of final disposal, interim storage and the handling and transport of high-level radioactive waste. BASE supports and advises the Federal Ministry for the Environment on nuclear waste management and safety issues. It conducts and coordinates research in its subject areas.
Source: BASE
With the founding of BASE, the legislator has bundled various control and supervisory tasks in the field of nuclear safety. This means that, for the first time, there is now an independent nuclear and mining law supervisory body for final disposal at the federal level. In addition, BASE has the new task of supervising the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste in Germany.
Source: BASE
According to the law, the last nuclear power plants in Germany are to be shut down by 2022 at the latest. Until then, and also in the further course of plant decommissioning, the safety culture must be maintained at a high level and further developed. BASE experts are well networked in many safety bodies at national and international level, and advise the German government. In addition, BASE maintains a central incident reporting centre for the federal government on incidents and events in nuclear facilities.
Source: BASE
In particular, the use of nuclear energy for power generation has resulted in highly radioactive waste that must be transported, stored temporarily and disposed of. Here, BASE examines within the framework of licensing procedures whether all necessary safety requirements are fulfilled. The basis for these federal enforcement tasks is laid down in the Atomic Energy Act, the Radiation Protection Ordinance and the Transport of Hazardous Goods Act.
Source: BASE
According to the law, the site for a repository for high-level radioactive waste is to be found within Germany by 2031 - in an open-ended, transparent procedure, according to legally defined technical criteria and with public participation. The individual procedural steps are regulated by the Site Selection Act (StandAG). The legislator has assigned two tasks to the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management in the search for a final repository: On the one hand, BASE is the control and supervisory authority in the search for a repository. On the other hand, it is responsible for public participation.
Source: BASE
Research is an essential tool of BASE to ensure safety in nuclear waste management. Research challenges existing knowledge as well as concepts and methods, investigates open questions and fills knowledge gaps. This is crucial for safety aspects that must be continuously adapted to the state of the art in science and technology. BASE initiates and accompanies research projects in the field of nuclear waste disposal safety, and conducts its own research. This includes aspects of natural science, technology and social science.
