May 31, 1976
Letter to Federal Minister Genscher
This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)
[Federal Ministry for Research and Technology]
St (FT)[1]
Bonn, 31 May 1976
1. Letter Minister [from Research and Technology][2] to Federal Minister Genscher[3]
(Copies to Friderichs[4], Maihofer[5], Head Federal Chancellery or Chancellor?)
Dear Mr. Colleague,
At the end of this week another conference with export countries of nuclear material and nuclear technology will take place in London. There probably a proposal will be tabled by the American side to agree on an export halt for so-called sensitive technologies (in particular uranium enrichment and reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel elements). The duration of this intended moratorium is said to last from 2 to 10 or 15 years.
This development is a reason for concern, as it can hamper the competitiveness of the German nuclear industry. Already now, nuclear power plants in states that launch a major nuclear energy program can be sold only, if the exporter simultaneously is taking care of the nuclear fuel cycle. While enriched uranium as reactor fuel can be provided also from the German side via the German-British-Dutch centrifuge company URENCO[6], the problem of reprocessing irradiated nuclear fuel elements remains unresolved. In the long run, this will only be solvable through constructing reprocessing facilities in the receiver countries (if the political and economic situation is allowing for such, preferably also with regional grouping).
Accordingly, the London guidelines for export countries that came into effect just at the beginning of this year also do not contain a ban on exports. Instead they are allowing them, if the construction of facilities is undertaken in an international context or with participation of the export country.
Apparently also the United States are realizing that the export of nuclear power plants is possible only with a simultaneous solution for the nuclear waste disposal problem. Thus they have offered the receivers to tale back the irradiated fuel elements and reprocess them in the United States. Such has been already agreed in case of the two nuclear power plants to be exported from the United States to Egypt. Recently the United States have made an according offer to Iran. Similar conditions cannot be offered from the side of the Federal Government, since due to our population density and different geographical conditions it is much more difficult than in the United States to find suitable locations for reprocessing facilities [in West Germany]. Also, at least at the moment, it would be hardly possible to have a tolerance in the population for reprocessing major amounts of nuclear fuel elements from overseas nuclear power plants. In addition, the transportation of used nuclear fuel elements over larger distances is also not without problems in terms of safety.
Thus the German nuclear industry is threatened with a significant competitive disadvantage, also since the French side (the second competitor for light-water nuclear power plants on the world market) might pursue a more generous policy pertaining to taking back fuel elements. The scope of damage to our economy can be easily assessed, if you consider that a nuclear power plant represents an order volume of at least 2 to 3 billion German Marks (in Iran way above) and that for its production in the Federal Republic almost 40,000 man-years are needed.
These considerations make me asking you to provide the German delegation for the talks in London with instructions that offer the chance to review this entire complex diligently within the Federal Government and to discuss it with our foreign partners - before whatever decisions regarding a moratorium will be made. This should occur especially with regard to the negotiations with Iran, which are about to be concluded. Since November 1974 two nuclear power plants are getting constructed there [in Iran] by the German industry. Since then we have been holding government negotiations, also regarding a cooperation in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle. Therefore in this case a potential moratorium could anyways not apply.
[1] Hans-Hilger Haunschild (1928-2012), State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology from 1972 to 1987.
[2] Hans Matthöfer (1925-2009), Federal Minister for Research and Technology from 1974 to 1978.
[3]Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927-2016), Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1974 to 1992.
[4]Hans Friderichs (born 1931), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs from 1972 to 1977.
[5]Werner Maihofer (1918-2009), Federal Minister of the Interior from 1974 to 1978.
[6] “Uranium Enrichment Company”, a British-German-Dutch nuclear fuel consortium.
This letter details the logistics of the conference in London. The US is likely to submit an application to stop the delivery of so-called sensitive technologies. Delivery and transportation of materials is discussed.
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