The availability of the Konrad repository is a key factor for the swift and efficient dismantling of Germany's nuclear power plants. The timely provision of the repository is also necessary in view of the residual materials from medicine, research and industry.

The Federal Company for Final Disposal (BGE) has set a binding deadline of the first half of 2027 for the completion of the Konrad repository. The timely realisation is also the litmus test of whether we in Germany can implement the technically resolved final storage issue socially, politically and technically.

Against this backdrop, we discussed the detailed roadmap up to 2027 and the associated effects, opportunities and risks with invited guests and experts from business and politics.

Moderation: Dr Ralf Güldner | President DAtF

• Judith Skudelny MdB, environmental policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag
• Stefan Studt, Chairman of the Management Board, Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE)
• Pieter Wasmuth, Chief Representative of Vattenfall GmbH for Hamburg and Northern Germany

After the phase-out of nuclear energy at the end of 2022, Germany will no longer have any experience in operating nuclear power plants. Above all, this will jeopardise Germany's ability to have a say in the assessment of foreign nuclear facilities. In order to prevent this, the governing parties have agreed to develop "a concept for the prospective retention of expertise and personnel for the operation, dismantling and safety issues of nuclear facilities as well as for interim and final storage" by the end of the legislative period.

With invited guests and experts from industry and politics, we examined the question of what a competence concept for nuclear safety assessment could look like that would allow our country to continue to assess nuclear power plant technology and its development abroad after the phase-out.

Moderation: Dr Ralf Güldner | President DAtF

• Karsten Möring MdB | Rapporteur on nuclear energy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, German Bundestag
• Dr Frank Sommer | Head of CoC Operations/Senior Vice President, PreussenElektra GmbH
• Uwe Stoll | Technical and Scientific Managing Director, Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit gGmbH
• Ernst Michael Züfle | Managing Director, Kraftwerksschule e.V.

The UK will continue to rely on nuclear energy in its energy mix in the future. In addition, many nuclear facilities will have to be dismantled in the coming decades. This makes the UK one of the most important markets for nuclear technology in Europe - including for German companies and organisations.

What impact can or will Brexit have on German-British cooperation in the field of nuclear technology? What challenges exist, what needs to be considered and what opportunities are there?

We discussed these and other questions with our guests at the DAtF panel on the evening of 18 April 2018 in Berlin.

Moderation: Dr Ralf Güldner | President DAtF

• Axel Göhner | Government Director, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Berlin
• Nick Leake | Counsellor and Head of the EU and Economic Section, British Embassy, Berlin
• Herbert Lenz | Managing Director, Westinghouse Electric Germany GmbH, Mannheim
• Dr Christian Raetzke | Lawyer, CONLAR Consulting on Nuclear Law, Licensing and Regulation, Leipzig

In the long term, academically and technically qualified specialists will be needed to ensure the safe residual operation of nuclear power plants, dismantling and disposal, Germany's future involvement in international safety standards and the preservation of the nuclear industry and research centre. Operators, industry and research as well as experts and authorities face this challenge together.

The DAtF took up this topic as part of its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events and organised an open and objective exchange in the form of a panel discussion with decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science, with Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, as moderator and with

• Andrea Martin | Consultant, Department of Reactor Safety and Radiation Protection, Ministry for Energy Transition, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas of the State of Schleswig-Holstein
• Prof Dr Winfried Petry | Scientific Director FRM II, Technical University of Munich, and Director at the Heinz Maier Leibnitz Centre (MLZ)
• Eberhard Schomburg | Member of the Management Board, Human Resources and Social Affairs, PreussenElektra GmbH
• Uwe Stoll | Technical and Scientific Managing Director, Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH

as panellists.

Since the accelerated phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany, the dismantling of nuclear power plants has become the focus of attention for the nuclear industry, politicians and the public. In addition to the challenges posed by the authorisation process and social acceptance, there are also opportunities and future market potential. This applies not least with regard to international projects, both for the operators of nuclear power plants and for a large number of other companies in Germany.

In cooperation with the BDI, the DAtF took up this topic as part of its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events and organised an open and objective exchange in the form of a panel discussion with decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science with Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, as moderator and

• Holger Lösch | Member of the BDI Executive Board
• Frank Apel | Senior Vice President Back End Germany, AREVA GmbH
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sascha Gentes | Head of Institute for Technology and Management in Construction Operations, Competence Centre for Deconstruction, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• RDir Dr Edgar Mergel | Head of Division Decommissioning, Post-operation and Research Reactors, Federal Supervision of Nuclear Power Plants, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety
• Jörg Michels | Chairman of the Management Board, EnBW Kernkraft GmbH

as panellists.

The Commission on the Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste will submit its final report to the Bundestag, Bundesrat and Federal Government in mid-2016. Among other things, the report will set out scientific, technical and social recommendations for the search for a repository for high-level radioactive waste in Germany. The remaining time will be used to intensively discuss the draft report, particularly with the public. The DAtF discussed the results, milestones and open questions as part of its "Energy in dialogue" series of events. Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, discussed this with

• Prof Dr Gerd Jäger | RWE AG, Member of the Commission on Final Storage
• Sylvia Kotting-Uhl MdB | Spokesperson for nuclear policy, Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, member of the Commission on Final Storage
• Dr Peter Matuschek | forsa Politik- und Sozialforschung GmbH, Berlin office

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

Europe favours secure, competitive and low-CO2 energy generation. Determining the energy mix in the individual countries is a national task.

On 2 December 2015, Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, discussed with experts from the UK, France, Switzerland and Belgium which strategy various European countries are pursuing on the way to a climate-friendly energy supply and what role nuclear energy plays in this:

• Bert Wollants | Member of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies
• Susie Townend | First Secretary Environment & Energy, British Embassy Berlin
• Dr Jean-Claude Perraudin | Counsellor for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies, French Embassy Berlin
• Beat Bechtold | Managing Director, Nuklearforum Schweiz

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

Since summer 2014, the Commission on the Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste has been developing proposals for the decision-making basis in the subsequent site selection process. After a good nine months, an initial assessment should be made: What priorities does the Commission see for its work? What progress has already been made and what milestones are still to be achieved in 2015?

On the evening of 3 February 2015, Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, discussed these issues with members of the Commission on the Storage of High-Level Radioactive Waste:

• Dr Bernhard Fischer | Chairman of the Supervisory Board, E.ON Kernkraft GmbH
• Steffen Kanitz MdB | Rapporteur of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for nuclear energy
• Sylvia Kotting-Uhl MdB | Spokesperson for Nuclear Policy, Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag
• Michael Sailer | Spokesman of the Management Board, Öko-Institut e.V.

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

Nuclear Safety Directive, Security of Supply of Energy Directive, 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy Policies. This small selection alone shows that the European Union deals extensively with energy and climate policy. Nuclear issues also play an important role in this. What is the current status of EU nuclear legislation? What regulations can we expect from the European level in the near future? What consequences will new regulations have for Germany?

Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, Massimo Garribba, Director, European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, Nuclear Safety & Fuel Cycle and Dr Christian Müller-Dehn, Head of Regulation/Principle Issues, E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, discussed these questions on the evening of 14 October 2014.

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

On 18 February 2014, the DAtF hosted a film and discussion evening at the CinemaxX cinema in Berlin as part of the "Energy in Dialogue" event series. Around 180 visitors had the opportunity to engage in open, objective and controversial discussions.

The film "Pandora's Promise" by Oscar-nominated American director Robert Stone was presented. After the screening, Robert Stone and Dr Felix Christian Matthes, Research Coordinator for Energy and Climate Policy at the Öko-Institut e.V., engaged in a passionate discussion. The discussion was moderated by Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF.

"Pandora's Promise" deals with the role of nuclear energy in the past, present and future. The film is based, among other things, on the statements of former opponents of nuclear power who consider nuclear energy to be indispensable today, especially in view of the rapidly increasing global demand for energy and the challenges posed by climate policy.

Stone was convinced that individual efforts to protect the climate would not be enough. Rather, major climate policy changes were necessary. Dr Matthes agreed with this. For him, however, effective and robust climate policy means abandoning nuclear power generation, which is particularly susceptible to acceptance due to its specific risks. In contrast to Stone, he sees renewable energies as a genuine and, above all, significantly less risky alternative. Stone, on the other hand, repeatedly emphasised that it would not be possible to provide people worldwide with a sufficient and reliable supply of energy without nuclear energy, given the expected increase in energy consumption. In addition, renewable energies are expensive but yield little. Dr Matthes, on the other hand, emphasised that the high expenditure on renewable energies in the past had been a worthwhile investment in the future and that renewable energies - in contrast to nuclear energy - were now available at ever lower prices. Germany, in particular, has the corresponding possibilities and, as a pioneer, can show that the energy transition is feasible. Stone, on the other hand, relativised Germany's importance in terms of climate and energy policy. Climate policy had to be tackled and solved globally. For Dr Matthes, the question of phasing out nuclear energy was also a question of ethics. Stone, on the other hand, emphasised the high safety standards of new nuclear power plants and the need for comprehensive and broad-based research into the further development of nuclear technology in the future. In this respect, he emphasised the numerous possibilities of innovative reactor concepts and alternative fuel cycles, while Dr Matthes did not see this potential and therefore rejected the promotion of further technical development in the field of nuclear energy.

After the audience had also put their questions to the panellists, the subsequent get-together offered the opportunity for further personal discussions.

The federal government, federal states and political parties have agreed to make progress on solving the repository issue with a new site selection law for a repository for highly radioactive waste. It is to be passed before the parliamentary summer break and a federal-state commission is to be set up to discuss fundamental issues relating to final storage and the search for a site.

The DAtF has contributed to this social dialogue and addressed this topic as part of its "Energy in Dialogue" event series. On the evening of 6 June, Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, Professor Dr Dr h.c. Ortwin Renn, Institute for Social Sciences, University of Stuttgart, and Dr Hannes Wimmer, Chairman of the Management Board, GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH.

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business, industry and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy in an exclusive circle.

The energy transition has also brought the issue of decommissioning and dismantling nuclear power plants even more to the centre of public interest. The disposal of nuclear power plants is not only a technically challenging task; organisational and economic aspects as well as the legal framework must also be taken into account during planning and implementation.

Dr Ralf Güldner, President of the DAtF, MinR Peter Hart, Head of the Nuclear Supply and Disposal Department at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and Dr Manfred Möller, Member of the Management Board of EnBW Kernkraft GmbH, discussed this topic in Berlin on 23 October 2012.

With its "Energy in Dialogue" series of events, the DAtF offers decision-makers and experts from politics, business and science a forum for an open and objective exchange of views on current topics relating to nuclear energy in an exclusive circle.