Berlin has shut down its last nuclear power plants, but the waste remains. Now Germany is searching for a place to bury thousands of tons of the world’s most radioactive materials for hundreds of thousands of years. An official map of potential locations includes areas right next to the Polish border. In June, BGE will publish another review that could further narrow down the list of candidates.
27,000 cubic meters – that is how much highly radioactive waste Germany must store after shutting down its last nuclear reactors in 2023. The waste will continue emitting radiation for thousands of years. That is why it must be buried deep underground, in stable rock formations, far from groundwater. The problem is that none of the German federal states want it on their territory.
The process is managed by BGE, a federal company established solely for this purpose. Since 2020, it has been reviewing the entire territory of Germany for geological suitability. In November 2025, it published its second progress report. The third is scheduled for June 2026, when the remaining unassessed regions will receive their geological evaluation.
Eastern Germany on the Map
On the current BGE map, areas considered potentially suitable from a geological perspective are concentrated in eastern federal states – Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Saxony. All of these regions border Poland directly. Salt deposits and rock formations identified by BGE as requiring further study stretch in a belt from Szczecin to Lower Silesia.
BGE emphasizes that it relies solely on geological data. However, the fact remains that western German states have for years effectively blocked unwanted investments on their territory, and political pressure is increasingly shifting the discussion toward eastern Germany. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg protest loudly and effectively. Brandenburg protests more quietly.
What June 2026 Means for Poland
So far, large areas of northern Germany have appeared in grey on BGE’s map, meaning their geological assessment had not yet been completed. In June 2026, these grey zones will disappear. BGE will publish evaluations of all previously omitted regions, and for the first time, a complete picture will emerge. It will then become clear which areas near the Polish border are considered suitable for further study.
This is not yet a final location decision. The road to selecting the ultimate site is long. BGE will present a shortlist of several to ten regions for surface exploration only by the end of 2027. This will be followed by years of further research, and then a decision by the Bundestag. The final location is supposed to be chosen before 2031, although BGE itself admits that this deadline seems unrealistic.
Poland Can Respond, but Does Not Decide
Poland is not formally a party to this process. BGE is searching for a repository within Germany and operates solely under German law. The Espoo Convention requires cross-border environmental consultations for projects that may affect neighboring countries, but these procedures have not yet been initiated. Poland may submit comments, but it has no veto power.
For residents of Szczecin, Zielona Góra, or Wrocław, this means one thing: decisions that will determine what may lie underground just a dozen or so kilometers from their homes for the coming centuries are being made in Berlin. Another map update is expected in a few weeks. The issue will certainly return.