Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety

Stephan Kurth

Head of Facility Safety subdivision / Senior Researcher

Key Projects

Evaluation of events and operational experience in nuclear power plants (commissioned by: Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, on behalf of the German Environment Ministry)
Updating nuclear guidelines and standards (commissioned by: Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, on behalf of the German Environment Ministry)
Safety review of facility designs (commissioned by: Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, on behalf of the German Environment Ministry)

Contact

Stephan Kurth

Nuclear Engineering & Facility Safety
Head of Facility Safety subdivision / Senior Researcher
Darmstadt
Oeko-Institut Consult GmbH
+49 6151 8191-108
E-Mail

Energy & Climate

Securing the Underground - Managing the Risks of Carbon Storage through Effective Policy Design

12/01/2023

This study examines the environmental and technological risks of geological storage of carbon dioxide, focusing on offshore sites. Reducing emissions remains the top priority to address the climate crisis, but carbon storage is increasingly seen as necessary to offset remaining greenhouse gas emi
Plant safety

Review of the Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG safety management system with regard to the explosion accident at the waste incinerator in Leverkusen-Bürrig

12/15/2021

On 07-21 2021 an explosion accident occured at the hazardous waste incinerator in Leverkusen-Bürrig, which left 7 staff members death and more than 30 injuried. Several technical experts are involved to analyse this event. In addition an independant expert team "Team Jochum" involving the Oeko-Inst
Plant safety

Evaluation of the safety requirements for the Konrad repository, Phase 2: Independant scientific peer review

11/01/2021

The former iron ore mine Schacht Konrad is beeing converted into a final storage for radioactive waste with negligible heat generation. The planning approval was issued in 2002. The operator, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung (BGE) mbH, is carrying out an evaluation of the safety requirements
Plant safety

Assessment of the periodic safety review of the uranium enrichment facility of the Urenco Deutschland GmbH in Gronau.

07/01/2021

The operator of the uranium enrichment facility (URENCO Deutschland GmbH) is performing the periodic safety review as required by the atomic law (AtG). On behalf of the responsible supervising authority the Oeko-Institute will assess the results of the safety review provided by the operator. The as
Plant safety

Technical screening and further evaluation of reportable events.

04/01/2021

Screening meetings are organised to discuss reportable events occuring in nuclear reactors. The focus is on the generic importance of these events and the lessons learned. The discussion ist based on the state of knowledge derived from the current operating experience. Experts from various technica
Plant safety

Evaluation of operational experience in nuclear reactors. Generic analysis and technical advice services.

04/01/2021

The project provides a comprehensive evaluation of the operational experience in nuclear reactors. Generic issues of safety-related importance are analysed regarding the current state of scientific knowledge. Subjects are such as: GRS information notices, exposure to external hazards, MCNP

Managing the Risks of Carbon Storage through Effective Policy Design

Securing the Underground

September 2024

This study examines the environmental and technological risks of geological storage of carbon dioxide, focusing on offshore sites. Reducing emissions remains the top priority to address the climate crisis, but carbon storage is increasingly seen as necessary to offset remaining greenhouse gas emissi

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX
Risks of transport by trains, ships, and pipelines

Transport: CO2 conditions during transport

April 2024

Presentation by Stephan Kurth, Workshop "Risks of CO2 storage - How can they be addressed and reduced?", 22.4.2024

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX
Alternative Disposal Options for High-Level Radioactive Waste

November 2021

Presentation by Dr. Matthias Englert, Simone Mohr, Stephan Kurth & Dr. Saleem Chaudry, 10.11.2021

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX
Total costs of electro-fuels and direct air captureand carbon storage while taking into account directandupstream emissions and environmental risks

E-fuels versus DACCS

August 2021

Study on behalf of Transport & Environment (T&E) For defossilizing European aviation,synthetic fuels or electro fuels (e-fuels) might play a pivotal role in the longterm.The UK’s Committee on Climate Change, however, suggests that offsetting aviation’s emission from fossil kerosene thro

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX
Technical characteristics of ageing processes and their possible impacts on nuclear safety in Spain

Risks of Nuclear Ageing

November 2014

Presentation by . Mohr und S. Kurth; Greenpeace, Valencia, November 2014

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX
Lifetime extension of ageing nuclear power plants: Entering a new era of risk

January 2014

In many countries of the European Union, nuclear reactors will be operated for longer in future than originally planned. Furthermore, the nuclear power plants have to generate more electricity. The components of the nuclear reactors are burdened by both their increasing age (and the associated agein

PDF Download

Export BiBTeX

© rawpixel.com @ freepik.com

Beyond artificial safety

Blog 04/08/2025

While we translate texts, generate images or simply search for answers with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI), very few of us consider whether AI is actually safe. This is likely due to the lack of discussion or efforts to address safety issues. Dr Heidy Khlaaf, Chief AI Scientist at the AI Now Institute, has been working on AI-related safety issues for a good many years. There is still a complete disregard of AI’s susceptibility to error, she says.
© plainpicture / noa-mar

Background report provides data and facts for Germany’s National Biomass Strategy

News 04/01/2025

How much wood will be available in the future for building, heating or for the production of wood products? How much agricultural land will be used to grow food and animal feed? How much livestock is justifiable in the context of climate targets in the future? What role do waste materials and residue matter play as suppliers of energy and raw materials? These and other questions are answered in a recent background report prepared by the six research institutes Oeko-Institut, DBFZ (German Biomass Research Centre), UFZ (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research), IFEU (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research), and the Thuenen Institutes for Market Analysis and Forestry. The report summarises key data, results and considerations relating to the potential of biomass and its uses.

Stephan Kurth

Contact

Recent projects

Securing the Underground - Managing the Risks of Carbon Storage through Effective Policy Design

Review of the Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG safety management system with regard to the explosion accident at the waste incinerator in Leverkusen-Bürrig

Evaluation of the safety requirements for the Konrad repository, Phase 2: Independant scientific peer review

Assessment of the periodic safety review of the uranium enrichment facility of the Urenco Deutschland GmbH in Gronau.

Technical screening and further evaluation of reportable events.

Evaluation of operational experience in nuclear reactors. Generic analysis and technical advice services.

Recent publications

Read more

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter:

Contact

Recent projects

Securing the Underground - Managing the Risks of Carbon Storage through Effective Policy Design

Review of the Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG safety management system with regard to the explosion accident at the waste incinerator in Leverkusen-Bürrig

Evaluation of the safety requirements for the Konrad repository, Phase 2: Independant scientific peer review

Assessment of the periodic safety review of the uranium enrichment facility of the Urenco Deutschland GmbH in Gronau.

Technical screening and further evaluation of reportable events.

Evaluation of operational experience in nuclear reactors. Generic analysis and technical advice services.

Recent publications

Securing the Underground

Transport: CO2 conditions during transport

Alternative Disposal Options for High-Level Radioactive Waste

E-fuels versus DACCS

Risks of Nuclear Ageing

Lifetime extension of ageing nuclear power plants: Entering a new era of risk

Read more

Beyond artificial safety

Background report provides data and facts for Germany’s National Biomass Strategy