GNS and the Federal Government reach agreement on transferring interim storage activities

New federal company for interim storage to start in August in Essen

GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) have reached an agreement on transferring GNS's interim storage activities. Effective August 1st 2017 GNS will sell its interim storage activities, grouped in a separately founded company, to the Federal Government. The new company will comprise the existing GNS central interim storage facilities in Ahaus and Gorleben as well as GNS employees managing interim storage at Ahaus, Gorleben and Essen.

All jobs will be preserved

The around 80 GNS employees at both storage sites will be transferred to the new company as well as some 70 GNS employees at its headquarters in Essen. They will become responsible for the administration of the new company “Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung” (BGZ), which will also take over the management of the 12 on-site interim storage facilities at German nuclear power plants, that will be transferred to the federal government in 2019.

GNS chairman Dr. Hannes Wimmer said, "We are pleased that our interim storage organisation, which has been tried and tested for more than two decades, is the seed of the new federal interim storage company. This means not only the preservation of all existing GNS jobs involved in interim storage, but also ensures our comprehensive competence for the continued operation and organisation of all German interim storage facilities with radioactive waste from German nuclear power plants."

PreussenElektra GmbH chairman Dr. Guido Knott, also chairman of GNS's supervisory board, said: "By transferring the interim storage activities of GNS and, subsequently, the on-site interim storage facilities to the government, German energy suppliers are making an important contribution to the reorganisation of the responsibility for radioactive waste disposal." He added, "With its remaining core competences - ranging from cask development and fabrication to disposal services – also the new GNS will continue to be a committed and highly professional service provider to the federal government and the utilities."

After the transfer of the interim storage activities GNS with its 450 employees will continue its activities as supplier of technology and services for comprehensive nuclear waste management for German and international customers.

Background:

In December 2016 a federal bill was passed, that the government assumed responsibility for interim storage and final disposal of the country's radioactive waste, financed by payments of the reactor operators into a state-owned fund.

Contact:

Michael Köbl
Head of Communications and Marketing
+49 201 109-1444
michael.koebl@gns.de