Members of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management Scientists, NGOs, representatives from the federal and state governments and civil society form an advisory board to develop recommendations for the disposal of radioactive waste.

The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management currently consists of 20 members and a chairperson.

 

Chair

Mag. Silvia Benda-Kahri

Environment Agency Austria
  • Chairwoman of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management

  • Sociologist and mediator

  • Many years of experience in supporting dialog and participation processes

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management provides the basis for the safe storage of our radioactive waste. The diversity of the Advisory Board members enables a comprehensive consideration of the associated challenges and thus a balanced planning of the necessary steps."

 

DI Dipl.-Päd. Sabine Kranzl

Environment Agency Austria
  • Co-Chairwoman of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management

  • Expert in energy and environmental management with national and international work experience

  • Greenhouse gas balancing and operational carbon management as key topics

"The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because solutions are sought together and responsibility is taken for a difficult issue."

 

Experts and stakeholders

DI Roman Beyerknecht

Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH
  • More than 20 years of experience in radiation protection as an official expert and in a responsible position at Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH (NES)
  • Extensive experience in the management of radioactive waste from collection to interim storage and responsibility for the safe handling of waste as Managing Director of NES
  • International networking and work as an expert in the field of radioactive waste management and decommissioning of nuclear facilities, for example for the European Commission

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because the responsibility for the safe disposal of our radioactive waste should not be passed on to future generations."

 

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Felt

University of Vienna
  • University professor and head of the Department of Science and Technology Studies
  • Head of the research platform "Responsible Research and Innovation in Academic Practice"
  • Research focuses on participation and governance of science/technology, science communication and changes in knowledge production

 

Prof. Dr. Frank Melcher

Montanuniversität Leoben
  • Trained as a geologist and petrologist at the Universities of Mainz, Innsbruck and Leoben with a focus on mineral resources and environmental geology
  • University professor and head of the Department of Geology and Mineral Deposits and very good knowledge of Austrian geology
  • Expert in approval procedures for construction projects such as tunnels or for raw material companies

"Working on the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is particularly important to me because future generations should not have to deal with a problem that they did not cause. This is why the construction of a final repository for radioactive waste in Austria is absolutely essential. I can contribute to this task with my expertise as a geologist."

 

Dr. Nikolaus Müllner

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
  • Doctorate in physics and many years of work in the field of safety and risk of nuclear facilities
  • Austrian representative on the Nuclear Safety Standard Committee of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and member of the German Reactor Safety Commission's Plant and Systems Engineering Committee
  • Head of the Institute for Safety and Risk Sciences with experience and knowledge of safety and risk analyses in the context of licensing procedures

"Austria has renounced the use of nuclear energy, but there is still radioactive waste from research, medicine, industry and, above all, from the dismantling of Austrian nuclear research facilities from the 1960s-1990s. The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is making a new attempt to improve the current, temporary solution. This work is important in order to spare future generations a problem for which they are not responsible - even if it will take decades before a final repository can be built."

 

Dipl.-Biol. t.o. Angelika Spieth-Achtnich

Institute for Applied Ecology, Germany
  • Research into the scientific principles of radioactive waste disposal, issues relating to the design and interaction of individual disposal steps up to final disposal, requirements of the German Site Selection Act, issues of participation and process design
  • Advising supervisory and licensing authorities at German federal and state level on environmental and safety issues, the further development of regulations and issues relating to the organization of operators and authorities; member of the working group of the German Federal Ministry of the Environment for regular reporting within the framework of the "Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management".
  • Expert activities in nuclear licensing procedures as an EIA expert pursuant to § 20 AtG and as an expert for soil and groundwater protection.

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management contributes to the responsible and safe disposal of Austrian radioactive waste."

 

DI Dr. Johannes Sterba

Technical University of Vienna
  • Doctorate in technical physics, nuclear and experimental physicist, research in archaeometry, tracer production and radiochemistry
  • Representative for nuclear safety and security at the TRIGA Mk II research reactor at TU Vienna
  • Cooperation with the IAEA in the fields of nuclear security and safeguards

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because we have to find solutions today that will also work for future generations."

 

Prof. (em) Dr. Hannelore Weck-Hannemann

University of Innsbruck
  • Professor of Economics / Political Economy at the University of Innsbruck, Institute of Public Finance
  • Many years of experience in research and teaching in the field of finance and economic policy issues (market failure, democratic decision-making processes) as well as topics in environmental economics and natural hazard and risk research
  • Involvement in trans- and interdisciplinary projects on environmental economics and risk research, energy policy issues and political-economic issues (including projects of the DFG in Germany, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the FWF and FFG in Austria)

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important, as careful preparation of the decision-making process is essential for a good and sustainable result (with regard to the type of repository and site selection)."

 

Representatives of civil society

Patricia Lorenz

GLOBAL 2000/Friends of the Earth Europe
  • More than 30 years of experience in the anti-nuclear field
  • Participation in EIA and other participatory processes
  • International experience with the disposal of radioactive waste

"The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because it is a real opportunity for Austria to achieve an exemplary process for the disposal of its own radioactive waste!"

 

Gabriele Mraz, MA

Austrian Institute for Ecology
  • Topics of the university degrees: Radioecology in Arctic food chains and links between sustainability and gender
  • Main areas of work are transparency and participation in the nuclear sector and nuclear waste management.
  • Collaboration in NGO networks, (large-scale) research projects and advisory activities.

"The public must be able to participate effectively in all steps of radioactive waste management, even hundreds of years from now."

 

Mag. David Reinberger

Vienna Ombuds Office for Environmental Protection

  • Working for the City of Vienna since 2006 in the nuclear sector and support and technical implementation of numerous (cross-border EIA and SEA) procedures for Vienna, including in the areas of waste treatment, interim storage and final disposal in neighboring countries.
  • Current focus in the context of nuclear affairs is on crisis and disaster management and bilateral cooperation in this area
  • Currently working in the Municipal Directorate of the City of Vienna, Organization and Security Division, Crisis Management and Security Group

"With my work on the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management I hope to be able to contribute to the development of a good, future-proof and socially acceptable solution for Austria's radioactive waste."

 

Representatives of the federal states

Mag. Bernhard Haubenberger

Austrian Association of Municipalities
  • Lawyer
  • Specialist for legal and international affairs

 

Dr. Ewald Plantosar

Office of the Styrian Government
  • Head of Unit Noise and Radiation Protection
  • Official expert for radiation protection licensing and inspection procedures and radiation protection officer for the province of Styria
  • Studied technical physics and trained as a medical physicist as well as being a generally sworn and court-certified expert

"The Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because it is about the safety of future generations."

 

DI Gerhard Seifritz

Office of the Federal Government of Lower Austria
  • Expert Department of Plant Engineering
  • Degree in technical physics and medical physics

 

Dr. Sigrid Sperker

Office of the State Government of Upper Austria
  • Group Leader Radiation Protection of the Directorate Environment and Water Management (until 2023)
  • Doctorate in chemistry

 

Representatives of the federal ministries

Mag. Manfred Ditto

Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
  • Head of Public Health Group / Department of Radiation Protection, Environment, Health
  • Expert for medical radiation protection

 

Mag. Eva Festl

Federal Ministry of Finance
  • Representative of the budget section
  • Deals with budgetary aspects of radiation protection

"Transparency, safety and cost-effectiveness are decisive for the work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management."

 

Monika Mörth, MAS

Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management
  • Collaboration on the amendment to the Radiation Protection Act (StrSchG), Federal Law Gazette I No. 133/2015, implementation of Directive 2011/70/Euratom
  • Participation in the interministerial working group at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
  • Collaboration on the National Waste Management Program of August 2015

 

Horst Reicher, BA

Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
  • Head of the Finance and Controlling Department in Section III (Innovation and Technology) at the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK)
  • As legal successor, the BMK is responsible, among other things, for financing the decommissioning and decontamination of facilities from 45 years of R&D activities at the Seibersdorf site and the decommissioning and disposal of the ASTRA research reactor
  • Full member of the Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf Advisory Board

"The work on the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important to me because it is important to me to be able to make a valuable contribution to the search for a repository."

 

Mag. Ursula Rosenbichler

Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport
  • Head of Department III/C/9 - Strategic Performance Management and Administrative Innovation
  • Project manager of GovLabAustria

 

Mag. Sabine Schneeberger

Federal Chancellery
  • The main task of Division IV/4 of the Federal Chancellery, which is part of Section IV (EU, International Affairs and Policy Issues), is to coordinate general government policy in the areas of sustainability, the environment, climate protection, transport and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

"The work of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management is important because well thought-out recommendations are drawn up for decisions to be made at political level."