GNS handed over its interim storage activities to the German Federation as of 1st August 2017. GNS and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) had signed the purchase contract on 24th July 2017 for the BGZ Gesellschaft für Zwischenlagerung mbH, Essen founded specifically for this purpose by GNS. Today, 1st August 2017, the nuclear licences for the new company were also granted alongside entry in the commercial register.