A leading official of Chancellor Gerhard Schoroeder's Social Democrats said he thought legislation setting out the planned retreat from nuclear energy would be delayed. "I cannot see Parliament being in a position to debate the bill this week," said Peter Struck, the party's chief whip. Leading utility companies have been upset by reports that the legislation to include a ban on the reprocessing of German nuclear fuel starting in 2000, far earlier than they had envisaged.