BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH

What BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH does

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH is a federally owned German company, headquartered in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, that operates as the sole statutory custodian of Germany's interim storage of radioactive waste. The company was established on March 1, 2017 under the 2016 Law on the Reorganization of Responsibility in Nuclear Waste Management, and its sole shareholder is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV). BGZ operates 16-17 interim storage facilities across seven German federal states, holding low-, intermediate-, and high-level radioactive waste — including spent fuel assemblies — until final deep geological repositories become available, a horizon that spans decades. The company is led by two managing directors, Stephanie Bokelmann (Commercial) and Wilhelm Graf (Technical), under the chairmanship of State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth.

BGZ's operating model is mandate-driven rather than commercial. It runs the two large central spent-fuel storage facilities at Ahaus and Gorleben through wholly-owned subsidiaries BZA and BLG, operates the KHG nuclear technical assistance subsidiary, and is progressively absorbing decentralized storage facilities from energy utilities at former nuclear power plant sites (transfers at Krümmel and Brunsbüttel remain pending). Its technology stack consists of physical storage infrastructure, transport and storage casks, and an Integrated Management System certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 with progressive EU EMAS environmental validation. Research is conducted through BGZ.lab, a research group embedded on the Technical University of Munich (TUM) campus in Garching that studies fuel-assembly aging behavior. In June 2026 BGZ filed for an extended interim-storage permit and a 20-year permit renewal at Gorleben, and completed the repatriation of radioactive waste from foreign reprocessing sites.

BGZ does not generate commercial revenue in the conventional sense; it is funded through the federal budget under a public-law mandate. The company's external-facing activity centers on public transparency and stakeholder dialogue, including the Forum Zwischenlagerung, on-site information centers in Ahaus and Gorleben, a digital whistleblower portal (Integrity Line), an active press and newsletter program, and ESG initiatives such as Project TOGO (forest afforestation in partnership with ecoCent e.V. and ACTION DURABLE) and a climate-neutrality target by 2045. All customer relationships are institutional: the Federal Republic of Germany is both the sole shareholder and the de facto sole customer, with energy utilities functioning as transferors of assets rather than commercial counterparties.

Name

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH

Legal name

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH

Website

https://bgz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH is the federally owned German company, established in 2017, that exclusively operates interim storage of low-, intermediate-, and high-level radioactive waste at 16-17 sites across Germany on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radioactive Waste Interim Storage

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Interim Storage Facilities (Centralized, Away-from-Reactor) (EUAKAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) Development, Licensing & Operations (EUAKAHAC), Spent Fuel Management & Interim Storage (EUACADAL), Regulatory compliance, licensing & stakeholder engagement for disposal (permits, public consultation, communications) (EUAKAGAK)

Keywords

• Radioactive waste storage
• Interim storage facilities
• Nuclear waste management
• Spent fuel storage
• Radioactive waste logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government-funded operations: As a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Federal Republic of Germany, BGZ is funded through government budgets to fulfill its statutory mandate of managing interim storage of radioactive waste

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH operates and manages interim storage facilities for low-level, medium-level, and high-level radioactive waste across 16 locations in Germany, ensuring safe and reliable storage until final disposal repositories become available. The company, wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, took over responsibility from nuclear power plant operators and energy utilities under the 2016 Law on the Reorganization of Responsibility in Nuclear Waste Management. Its service portfolio includes spent fuel storage through subsidiaries BZA (Ahaus) and BLG (Gorleben), low- and medium-level waste storage at decommissioned nuclear power plant sites, nuclear technical assistance via KHG, and applied research on fuel assembly aging at BGZ.lab.

Product overview

BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH operates as a federally-owned German company managing the interim storage of radioactive waste. The company's core offering consists of safe and reliable storage services for low-, medium-, and high-radioactive waste across 17 storage locations throughout Germany. The portfolio includes spent fuel intermediate storage facilities (operated through subsidiaries BZA Ahaus and BLG Gorleben), low and medium-level waste storage, research services via BGZ.lab at TUM, and the KHG nuclear technical assistance subsidiary. BGZ does not operate as a software product company but provides physical infrastructure and services for nuclear waste management, supplemented by digital services such as the Integrity Line whistleblower portal and the Forum Zwischenlagerung public dialogue platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Technische Universität München (TUM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBGZ operates a research group (BGZ.lab) on the TUM campus in Garching where researchers study the aging behavior of fuel assemblies together with students. This provides essential contributions to BGZ's research program.
• ecozoom / natureoffice.comminorOthersCarbon offset certification partner for BGZ's website emissions, providing CO2 compensation through certified climate protection projects
• ecoCent e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman non-profit organization collaborating with BGZ on the Project TOGO for natural forest afforestation and social projects supporting women in Togo
• ACTION DURABLEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTogolese NGO partner for Project TOGO in Kpalimé, implementing forest afforestation and social development projects
• JobRadminorOthersBicycle leasing partnership offering company bike leasing to employees for commuting and personal use as part of health management program
• egym WellpassminorOthersFitness and wellness network partnership offering employees access to over 3,500 fitness facilities across Germany with discounted rates as part of corporate health management
• BZA (Brennelement-Zwischenlager Ahaus GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary managing the spent fuel interim storage facility in Ahaus
• BLG (Brennelementlager Gorleben GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary managing the spent fuel interim storage facility in Gorleben
• KHG (Kerntechnische Hilfsdienst GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholly-owned subsidiary providing nuclear technical assistance services within the BGZ Group

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA): UK non-departmental public body sponsoring the decommissioning and cleanup of the UK's nuclear legacy, including spent fuel management and interim storage across multiple sites. Comparable to BGZ in mandate scope, public ownership structure, and multi-decade liability profile.
• Posiva Oy: Finnish nuclear waste management company operating the ONKALO underground characterization facility and building the world's first geological disposal repository for spent fuel. Comparable to BGZ in spent fuel storage responsibility, though further advanced in final disposal.
• NAGRA (Nationale Genossenschaft für die Lagerung radioaktiver Abfälle): Swiss cooperative responsible for the disposal of radioactive waste in Switzerland, including interim storage coordination and geological repository site selection. Comparable to BGZ in national statutory mandate and long-term disposal planning.
• ENRESA (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos): Spanish state-owned company responsible for the management of radioactive waste in Spain, including the El Cabril interim storage facility and the planned Centralized Temporary Storage facility. Comparable to BGZ in national statutory ownership and interim storage mission.
• BGE (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung): German federal company responsible for the construction and operation of final disposal facilities for radioactive waste in Germany. Sister federal entity to BGZ within the German nuclear waste management framework, with complementary mandate for final disposal.
• SKB (Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB): Swedish nuclear fuel and waste management company owned by the country's nuclear power operators, responsible for interim storage (Clab) and the planned geological repository (Forsmark). Comparable to BGZ in managing spent fuel interim storage and final disposal planning.
• ONDRAF/NIRAS: Belgian national agency for radioactive waste and enriched fissile materials, responsible for interim storage and development of a deep geological repository. Directly comparable in scope, mandate, and operations to BGZ's role in Germany.
• ANDRA (Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs): French national agency responsible for the long-term management of all radioactive waste in France, operating interim storage facilities (e.g., La Hague, Soulaines) and the Cigéo geological repository project. Directly comparable to BGZ as a national statutory entity managing radioactive waste interim storage until final disposal.
• COVRA (Centrale Organisatie Voor Radioactief Afval): Dutch state-owned organization responsible for collecting, treating, and storing all Dutch radioactive waste in interim storage at the HABOG facility for at least 100 years. Closely mirrors BGZ's national-interim-storage model with a similar long-duration mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Holtec International: US-based company providing used nuclear fuel storage systems (HI-STORM casks) and operating the HI-STOR consolidated interim storage facility under NRC licensing. Comparable to BGZ as a leading global operator in interim spent fuel storage technology and consolidated storage licensing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqB8zjFmtgQv8Qbowku2gNg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/die-bgz
• Instagraminstagram.com/die.bgz

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH