The economic sense in reprocessing

In the long rung, the decision in favor of reprocessing creates favorable preconditions for a number of follow-on decisions. On the one hand, reprocessing is recycling in the best sense of the term and, thus, helps to conserve resources; it serves primarily the back end of the fuel cycle and, hence, the operation of nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic of Germany. On the other hand, reprocessing opens up the chance of introducing a breeder technology, which may be decisive in the energy supply to future generations. The line reading 'nuclear power - reprocessing - advanced reactors' substitutes capital and technology for raw materials, in this way satisfying one of the key requirements of a national economy. Reprocessing in Germany today is about the only sufficiently assured waste management pathway, which makes it indispensable in the continued operation of nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic of Germany as a demonstration of the existence of provisions for the back end of the fuel cycle. (orig.)