Today, the German Bundestag approved the Federal Government's draft bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act. In doing so, the Bundestag decided that the last three nuclear power plants still in operation in Germany will be shut down by 15 April 2023 at the latest. Yet, there is a long way to go before the nuclear phase-out is complete. Many nuclear safety challenges remain.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: "The nuclear phase-out is clearly a safety gain for our country. This is all the more true now that we are seeing, for the first time, a state that is not afraid to use military force to attack and shell nuclear power plants. At this time of crisis, such high-risk facilities can make us even more vulnerable."

Permanent safety is paramount

Shutting down Germany's last nuclear power plants is an essential step towards nuclear phase-out, but it will not be the last. "The nuclear phase-out is not complete until all nuclear facilities are removed, and their dangerous legacies are permanently and safely stored deep underground," says Wolfram König, President of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE). High-level radioactive waste is currently stored at 16 interim storage facilities in Germany. The search for a repository where the waste can be stored permanently and safely, which is based on scientific criteria, has been underway since 2017. BASE oversees the process and helps ensure public participation in the procedure.

In a new publication, numerous BASE authors and guest authors review both the history and current developments in the field of nuclear energy: from the introduction of this technology to the unresolved disposal issue and the major social conflict to current hot topics, such as warlike attacks, climate protection and democracy. The possibility of military use as well as the entire the cycle from uranium mining to the dismantling of nuclear facilities are also considered. "The various contributions remind us of why we decided to phase out nuclear energy for safety reasons," says Wolfram König.

One thing is clear: when dealing with a complex high-risk technology, there are no easy answers.