Politics · Germany · 11 hrs ago
Less than 5% of Germany remains under review for nuclear waste site
Germany’s nuclear waste site search has narrowed to under 5% of the country.
The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal says the remaining areas may have suitable geology for a deep underground site.
Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Berlin, Saxony, Hamburg and Saarland are out of the current search.
The agency is assessing deep geology, including rock types such as granite, salt and clay, for its ability to contain highly radioactive waste safely.
Germany has about 27,000 cubic metres of highly radioactive waste, now held in temporary storage sites.
The search is intended to find a place that can keep the waste safe for a million years.
The remaining areas will be narrowed further by the end of 2027, after which the federal nuclear safety office will review the proposed regions.
The Bundestag will make the final choice, with a decision on a site targeted by 2050.
Experts have narrowed the areas being considered for a German nuclear waste repository to less than five percent of the country’s land.
The reports disagree on which states have been ruled out: Tagesschau lists six, including Hamburg, while t-online lists five and does not include Hamburg.
The remaining areas are being assessed for their geological suitability to contain highly radioactive waste.
The BGE plans to narrow the search to potential site regions by the end of 2027, with the Bundestag ultimately deciding where the process continues.
Germany aims to find a repository by 2050 for about 27,000 cubic metres of highly radioactive waste.
- Who
- The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) is conducting the search; the Bundestag will make the final decision on the site.
- What
- The search for a permanent repository for Germany’s highly radioactive nuclear waste has been narrowed to less than five percent of the country’s land area.
- When
- The latest update was published on 27 October 2026.
- Where
- Germany. The reports differ on the states ruled out: Tagesschau lists Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen, Berlin, Sachsen, Hamburg and Saarland; t-online lists the same states except Hamburg.
- Why
- The areas are being assessed to identify a geologically suitable place to safely contain the waste over the long term.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Germany restarted the search through the Site Selection Act.
The BGE identified 90 potentially suitable areas, covering 54 percent of Germany.
Rheinland-Pfalz was removed from the search, according to the reports.
The latest update said less than five percent of Germany’s land area remained under consideration.
The BGE plans to narrow the search to potential site regions.
Germany’s target date for finding a repository.
- Remaining area
- Less than 5 percent of Germany’s land area
- Initial areas
- 90 areas identified in 2020
- Waste volume
- About 27,000 cubic metres of highly radioactive waste
- Target date
- 2050
- Ruled-out states
- Tagesschau lists six; t-online lists five, omitting Hamburg
5 sources
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What people are saying
We will continue narrowing down the areas until the end of 2027, until only a few site regions remain that we propose for exploration.
where as little as possible has happened in the last one million years and we can then assume that relatively little will happen there in the next one million years