North-Rhine Westphalia's Minister of Economics, Mr. R. Jochimsen, stops completion of the fast breeder reactor near Kalkar. The dice is cast - is it

In 1982 and 1983, the Federal German Minister for Research and Technology, Mr. Riesenhuber, put into effect what his predecessor, member of the SPD, Mr. von Buelow, had been aiming at: The power industry had to contribute a larger share to the construction of the SNR-300 near Kalkar. Up to then, their commitment amounted to only DM 200 millions, although the utilities clearly will draw most benefit from the new technology. The financing share to be paid by the electricity supply companies was then fixed to DM 1.4 thousand millions. The Federal Government is in with DM 4.2 thousand millions, and adding the contribution by Belgium and the Netherlands, public funds are contributing DM 5.2 thousand millions. The remaining investments come from the nuclear industry (DM 340 millions) and from banking establishments (loans amounting to DM 100 millions). In reality, however, the utilities share only is about DM 400 millions, as they in advance obtained permission to pass on one thousand millions of expenses to the customers, via the electricity rates. Should the Kalkar SNR-300 now be left uncompleted, claims for damages would pile up to a total of about one thousand millions (of which 400 millions will be claimed by the power industry, 340 millions by the nuclear industry, and 100 millions by the banks). (orig./GL)