Why is nuclear energy indispensable

The third update of the Federal Government's energy programme refers to the subject nuclear energy only with the idea that for energy and industrial political reasons nuclear energy should make a further increasing contribution to power generation in the field of base load. It is true, the annex contains - in form of an abstract - the results of a study of the three energy-economic Institutes which also contain some precise data on the necessary expansion of the Atomic Energy Act. The wording of the update report, however, clearly says that the Federal Government does not adopt the forecastings of the Institutes especially those for the capacity of nuclear power plants considered to be necessary by 1995 (37 000 to 39 500 MW). So, for a number of comprehensible reasons, the Federal Government consciously rejects a nuclear power plant programme such as Government and Parliament have recently decided on in France. Just for this reason, it seems to be reasonable to consider carefully which data and facts have to be taken into account with such a programme and to which results such a - let's say experimental - evaluation could lead. This is the purpose of this contribution. (orig.)