The Federal Offce for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Disposal (BASE)

The legislature has assigned two tasks to the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) in relation to the search for a final repository:

• Firstly, BASE acts as the regulatory and supervisory authority in the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste. It provides scientific guidance throughout the search process and ensures that the search is conducted in accordance with the law. It also evaluates the proposals and exploration results from the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) and forwards the assessed site proposal, together with its recommendations, to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).

• Furthermore, BASE organises the participation of the public. It provides comprehensive information on the process and makes the information essential for site selection available to all parties involved in the process at an early stage, comprehensively, systematically and on a permanent basis via this website. It organises the conferences and committees stipulated by law and offers informal opportunities for participation and dialogue that go beyond the legal requirements. To ensure the widest possible participation, it is essential that all stakeholders involved in the search process make the sometimes complex content accessible even to laypeople.

The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE)

The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) is a federally owned company and is responsible for implementing the site selection process. It collects all relevant data in the searchfor a repository site, evaluates it andcarries out the specific explorationwork from phase II onwards. BGE is responsible for the operational aspects of the process.

The company draws up proposals for the selection of site regions and sites to be investigated, and prepares site-specific investigation programmes and assessment criteria. It carries out surface and underground investigations for the sites yet to be determined and prepares the respective preliminary safety assessments. Finally, after each phase, the BGE proposes to BASE which areas should be investigated further. Following review by BASE, the German Bundestag decides, at the conclusion of the various phases, on the sites to be investigated further and, ultimately, on the final repository site.

The National Citizen’s Oversight Committee (NBG)

The National Citizen’s Oversight Committee (NBG) is made up of renowned members of the public and citizen representatives. This group is tasked with providing independent and mediatory support for the site selection procedure.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety Consumer Protection (BMUKN)

The Federal Ministry for the Environment bears the overall political responsibility. It is responsible for the technical supervision of BASE, and is the owner of the federally owned company BGE.

The German Bundestag

The German Bundestag will determine after each phase which regions or sites are to be further explored for the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Parliament will also decide on the final site.At the end of the search process, the German Bundestag will determine the final repository site. To ensure that this decision is supported by a broad social consensus and can also be tolerated by the people in the affected region, it must be comprehensible. It is therefore important to make the procedural steps transparent from the very beginning. Everyone should have the opportunity to ask questions and have their say. The Site Selection Act provides for various committees and conferences in the course of the procedure. Their findings will be considered in the further course of the site selection process. To further strengthen the process, the institutions involved can also provide additional participation opportunities that go beyond the legally prescribed formats.