Maintaining competence became internationally sought-after expertise
BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH (BGE TEC), Peine/Germany, is celebrating its 25th birthday. The engineering subsidiary of the Bundesgesellschaft fĂĽr Endlagerung (BGE), Peine, was founded in 2000 under the name DBE TECHNOLOGY GmbH as a subsidiary of the BGE predecessor organization Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Bau und Betrieb von Endlagern (DBE). At the time, the decision was made primarily for pragmatic reasons: The moratorium in Gorleben meant that work on the exploratory mine at the time came to a standstill. The DBE was unable to continue its work and research as originally planned. The highly qualified experts from the fields of geophysics, geology, mining engineering and nuclear technology were relieved of their previous activities, which threatened a loss of expertise. The founding of BGE TEC was the solution to take on work outside of the national waste disposal program and secure the expertise in the long term.
Since then, BGE TEC has continued to develop and is now an internationally renowned consulting and engineering company specializing in the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Its core competencies lie in the final disposal and management of radioactive waste, particularly in the areas of research and development, technical consulting and the engineering implementation of final disposal projects. In two decades, BGE TEC has realized more than 80 research and development projects and worked on more than 110 national and international contracts on almost every continent in the world. BGE TEC is intensively involved in the BGE’s repository projects, particularly in issues relating to rock mechanics and backfilling and sealing materials. There are currently 41 engineers and scientists from eight nations working at BGE TEC in Peine.
Iris Graffunder, Chairwoman of the Management Board of BGE, congratulates on the anniversary: “We are proud that BGE TEC is successful worldwide as our subsidiary. BGE TEC brings its international experience and the latest findings to BGE. It is important that we learn from each other, because the issues and scientific developments relating to final disposal are important across national borders.” Thilo von Berlepsch, Managing Director of BGE TEC, says: “We are happy to support the BGE in all repository projects and in site selection. We are able to do this precisely because we operate internationally. We have found partners in Belgium and the Czech Republic, e. g., with whom we have been working for decades. This gives BGE TEC a good overview of the further development of the state of the art in final disposal science and technology – and this experience then flows back into BGE.” (BGE/Si.)
