State custody of nuclear fuel

The storage of nuclear fuels is subject to strict safety requirements. Nuclear fuels may only be stored if a storage licence has been granted in accordance with Section 6 of the Atomic Energy Act (AtG), or if they are used in a facility licensed in accordance with Section 7 of the AtG, such as a nuclear power plant. In situations where such licences are not available, the state must ensure the safekeeping of these substances to protect the population. This may happen, for example, if nuclear fuel is found, or seized during border controls.

The competent authority for state safekeeping according to Section 5 of the Atomic Energy Act is the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE). It took over this task on 30 July 2016 from the previously responsible Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). To be prepared for an emergency, storage space has been rented at the Interim Storage North near Lubmin. Smaller quantities of nuclear fuel could be stored there. This is a precautionary measure to protect the population.

State custody may also be necessary in exceptional cases if a previously existing licence expired, and there was no other option for legal storage, e.g. a supervisory order pursuant to Section 19 para 3 sentence 2 of the Atomic Energy Act. In this case, larger quantities of nuclear fuel would initially remain in storage at their previously licensed storage location. The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management would then have to take all measures to guarantee that the safety of the storage corresponded to the state of the art in science and technology.

One plutonium-beryllium source is currently in state custody in Germany.