New junior research group on legal issues relating to fusion energy
04/07/2026What legal issues need to be clarified if nuclear fusion is to be utilised as an energy source? A new junior research group at the University of Würzburg is dedicated to this task.
Fusion power plants could be new energy suppliers in the future. During fusion, atomic nuclei fuse together and energy is produced. This process takes place continuously on the surface and especially inside the sun. However, no fusion power plants exist as yet and it remains to be seen whether this form of energy can be utilised.
The government of the Free State of Bavaria has launched the "Mission Kernfusion" in 2023. The aim is to explore the physical principles of nuclear fusion and research the requirements for realising a power plant. This also includes clarifying the legal requirements.
This task now falls to the junior research group "Rechtsfragen der Fusionsenergie" at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU). The group began its research work on 1 April 2026 and is funded by the Bavarian state government for six years. It is headed by the lawyer and physicist Dr. Philipp Sauter, who previously worked as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL).
What needs to be clarified legally
At the MPIL, Philipp Sauter was responsible for the "Pilot project on the regulation of fusion facilities" (ReFus), where he already dealt with the legal aspects of fusion. Sauter is now bringing his expertise to the Faculty of Law at JMU. "Our team will grow to three scientific researchers and several student assistants in the future," says the lawyer.
Together, the researchers want to identify the regulatory gaps for fusion power plants and develop ways to bridge them. Areas to be investigated include: Regulatory measures, authorisation procedures, safety and liability issues, radiation protection and nuclear law, environmental law, intellectual property issues and cooperation with industry as well as the acceptance and participation of society.
According to Sauter, it is important to consider whether existing law is applicable to fusion and whether this application appears to make sense. "For such legal categorisations, we need to understand the physical and technical background of nuclear fusion. The work is therefore interdisciplinary," says the group leader.
To this end, a close professional exchange is to be established with the JMU Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching and specialist technical organisations such as TÜV and the Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit. Co-operation with state and federal authorities and the fusion industry is also planned.
Lawyer and physicist at the same time
Physics is not new territory for the doctor of law: while studying law at the universities of Tübingen and Aix-en-Provence, he also completed a bachelor's and master's degree in physics. "I decided to study law while I was still at primary school. In addition to my law lectures, I also attended courses in maths and physics. Then it quickly became a double degree programme," says Sauter.
While his final theses in physics centred on fusion research, his legal focus was on international law. His doctoral thesis topic was therefore an obvious choice: it was about analysing fusion from the perspective of international law.
Lecture on legal aspects of fusion energy
If you want to find out more about the topic, the lecture series "Fusionsenergie und ihre Rechtsfragen" will start in the 2026 summer semester. The first date is Wednesday, 22 April 2026, from 4 to 6 pm. The lecture series will take place every two weeks in Lecture Hall 1 of the Old University.
Contact
Dr. Philipp Sauter, Head of the Junior Research Group on "Rechtsfragen der Fusionsenergie", Faculty of Law, T +49 931 31-83250, philipp.sauter@uni-wuerzburg.de
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