The atomic law licensing procedure for nuclear facilities

In all countries with a nuclear energy programme the atomic law licensing and supervising procedures hardly differ in their targets, however, when they are being realized a centralistic procedure shall be preferred even in federally administered countries in most cases. In contrast to this a mixed system has developed in the F.R. of Germany: the Laender are the executives of Atomic Law on behalf of the Bund. The essential characteristics of the licensing procedure are the multistage method and the division into intermediary stages which facilitate the adaption of the safety requirements to the respective state of science and technology. The responsible authorities consult experts for checking the safety engineering requirements of the application papers. These experts are also in charge of writing reports as well as of controlling both the production and the building site. They are also responsible for periodical tests. The public participates in the licensing procedure by being informed of the project, having access to the application papers, and by being able to enter protests. Licensing notices are voidable provided that they are submitted to an administrative court. (orig./HP)