In Germany the political decision to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes was taken in the 1960s. This involved two main objectives. First, to diversify the country's primary energy base by means of low-cost uranium imports from other politically stable countries; and secondly, to generate low-cost electricity from uranium in large-scale power units.

The early 1970s saw the commissioning of E.ON Kernkraft's Würgassen and Stade facilities, the first commercially operated nuclear power stations in Germany. The Würgassen (boiling-water reaction) and Stade (pressurized-water reactor) power stations were decommissioned in 1995 and 2003 respectively.

Right from the outset, the use of nuclear energy in Germany has been subject to stringent safety standards. As a result, Germany's nuclear power plants operate to the highest safety standards, a fact that is recognized and acknowledged the world over. The scientific and engineering safety analyses and plant designs have taken into account every conceivable accident scenario, no matter how unlikely.