Location of several nuclear facilities in Lower Saxony, Germany. At the Gorleben location, an interim storage facility for spent fuel elements and a storage facility for low active waste from nuclear power plants are operated. A conditioning plant for the preparation and packaging of spent fuel elements for direct ultimate waste disposal is largely complete. For the repository of the Federal Government for radioactive waste, including high active heat-generating waste – glass canisters with waste from reprocessing, conditioned irradiated fuel elements for direct ultimate waste disposal – underground reconnaissance for the suitability of the salt dome has been carried out. This reconnaissance has currently been suspended by the Federal Government. Until a repository site has been designated by the German federal government, the operation of the pilot conditioning system is limited to the repair of defective transport and storage casks by an ancillary provision in the license issued. In September 2019 Lower Saxony’s Environment Minister announced the demolition of the Gorleben pilot conditioning system in the coming years.  Before that, however, an alternative for an emergency repair facility for the transport cask storage facility is to be developed, which prevents the interim storage permit from expiring.