The search for a nuclear waste repository in Germany continues, with parts of Thuringia still being evaluated as potential sites while other areas are excluded.

The Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE) has announced that parts of Thuringia remain under consideration as potential sites for a nuclear waste repository. Specifically, the region in and around the district of Sömmerda has passed the initial two evaluation steps and will undergo further examination. However, areas in the Unstrut-Hainich district and the Ilm district have been excluded from the process, as they no longer meet the criteria for suitability.

The Werra-Fulda Basin in southwestern Thuringia, which had not been previously examined, has now been classified as minimally suitable and will not be part of the ongoing evaluation. According to the BGE, all areas in Thuringia have been reviewed at least once and categorized based on their suitability. Thuringia’s Environment Minister, Tilo Kummer, emphasized the importance of conducting the search for a repository based on clear scientific criteria and with public involvement. He noted that the Werra-Fulda Basin’s exclusion follows last year’s decision to eliminate crystalline rock formations in the state from consideration.

Nationwide, the BGE is focusing its efforts on areas that represent less than five percent of Germany’s total land area and are deemed to have the highest suitability for a repository. Entire states, including Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Berlin, and Saarland, have been ruled out. In Thuringia, the majority of the land has already been deemed unsuitable or minimally suitable, with large areas in the south and southeast not even considered for evaluation. The BGE plans to propose regions for surface exploration by the end of 2027, with the Bundestag ultimately deciding on the final locations. The target date for selecting a repository site is currently set for 2050.