Transports
Radioactive material needs to be transported for a variety of reasons, including medical applications, the industrial use of nuclear energy and the disposal of the resulting waste, and the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
Many of these transports require a licence. Under the Atomic Energy Act, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) is responsible for granting licences for the transport of and large sources. A licence is only granted if the carrier can demonstrate, among other things, that they have the necessary knowledge to transport the or large source safely from one location to another. Once BASE has issued a transport licence, the carrier is responsible for the safety and execution of the transport.
The competent supervisory authorities ensure that the legal requirements for the safety of people and the environment are met. For the most common road transport operations, these are the state authorities designated by the federal states, and for rail transport, the Federal Railway Authority.
Once a licence has been issued and the first transport has taken place, BASE will make this known by publishing a list of current transport licences.
