Germany has decided to end the use of nuclear energy by 2022 and is taking a new approach to finding a disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. A commission was established to define criteria for selecting a site that guarantees safety for 1 million years. The commission will present recommendations to parliament in 2016 to begin the site selection process, which will include surface exploration through 2023 and underground exploration of potential sites with the goal of choosing a final site by 2031. The waste is not expected to be placed at the final site until 2050. The process will consider salt, claystone, and crystalline rocks as potential host rocks across Germany.