Legal questions relating to the nuclear fuel cycle and the ultimate storage of radioactive waste in the FRG

This contribution discusses the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act governing the radioactive waste management. As a general rule, the 'safe re-utilization' of spent fuel elements through reprocessing and recycling is the goal preferred. Currently, the reprocessing capacity available in the FRG is not sufficient. The national ultimate storage facility will be available only in the nineties. Up to then, privately managed interim storage facilities are filling the gap and thus represent a provisional step in the overall management concept. This concept, developed by scientific and technical research work, has in principle been built in into the legal system by the 4th amendment of the Atomic Energy Act in 1976, although legal questions remain to be solved. They can, among other possibilities, be solved by way of statutory instruments. It is expected that efforts of the Federal Government, to expedite the licensing procedure for facilities of the nuclear fuel cycle, will be successful and thus enable ultimate storage facilities to be completed and ready for use within reasonable time. (orig./HSCH)