The law governing the search and selection of a site for disposing of high-level radioactive waste (Site Selection Act) regulates the procedure for identifying a site for a facility to dispose of the high-level radioactive waste produced in Germany (disposal site). This site should provide the best possible safety in a comparison of locations across the country.

At the end of phase 1 of the site selection procedure, BGE mbH will make a suggestion for regions that should be explored above ground during phase 2. These regions will be known as siting regions. The suggestion made by BGE mbH will be submitted to the German parliament after BASE has checked it; parliament will determine the site regions by passing a federal law.

Pool filled with water, where fuel elements (after having been used in the reactor) are stored until activity and heat generation have reduced to the desired level.

Part of the population who are organised as a group and who represent their joint interests

BGE mbH published its intermediate report on sub-areas in September 2020. It mentions 90 sub-areas, which are expected to provide favourable geological conditions for safely disposing of high-level radioactive waste; BGE mbH is continuing to examine them.

The sub-areas conference is the first legally prescribed participation format in the search for a repository for high-level radioactive waste. Its task is to discuss the first interim report of the company in charge of the search, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) mbH. This gives the public an initial insight into the status of BGE mbH's work at an early stage and allows them to provide feedback.

By definition, subcritical arrangements have an effective multiplication factor (keff) of smaller than 1. This means that the neutron production (from the fission source) is less than the sum of neutron absorption and leakage. This also means the current generation of the chain reaction contains fewer neutrons than the previous generation, while no external neutron source is in place.