A promise made during the Merkel era had Germany announced it would shut down all of the country’s nuclear power plants by 2022 at the latest, but Russia’s growing shortage of gas supplies to the country is bringing back discussions on nuclear power, which in principle will soon end. abandoned and now the extension of its use has been reconsidered.
The German government said on Monday (25) it will decide “in the coming weeks” on a possible extension of nuclear power plants, which are scheduled to be permanently shut down at the end of the year, based on a new assessment currently underway.
If the country decides to extend the life of its three still operating nuclear power plants, it will set a new direction for the German energy sector with a very strong political impact.
A few weeks ago, Berlin also announced that Germany will increase its use of coal – a raw material expected to disappear by 2030 – in the power generation chain to compensate for the dwindling Russian gas supply.
To make a decision, a government spokesman said the German government is now awaiting the result of an “ongoing stress test” to determine the current safety level of nuclear power plants.
The first test in March concluded that Germany’s three still-operating nuclear power plants were not necessary to ensure the energy security of Europe’s largest economy. These currently account for 6% of Germany’s net energy production.
Merkel’s legacy
It was former Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel who called on Germany to withdraw from nuclear power under public pressure after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Environmentalists, members of the ruling coalition of Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have long argued against any change in this direction, as the fight against atomic energy is part of Grünen’s DNA (called “The Greens” in Germany). Starting more than 40 years ago.
But since the start of the war in Ukraine, the country’s energy situation has worsened.
Rising energy costs and fears of gas shortages in Russia – Gazprom announced on Monday that it will reduce supply via the Nord Stream pipeline to just 20% of normal levels – are prompting Merkel’s own political family to re-examine the nuclear energy taboo.
The situation requires the remaining facilities to remain operational longer than planned. Recently, the leader of ecologists, Friedrich Merz, explained that those who “decided to stick with nuclear energy” like France “are not necessarily more stupid” than the Germans.
Even within the governing coalition, the pressure from the liberals of the FDP is increasing. Michael Kruse, the leader of this right-wing party in Bild, said, “The life of nuclear power plants should be extended until the spring of 2024. This is the period when we are in danger of running out of power.”
The debate over nuclear energy, even among ecologists and social democrats, is becoming less antagonistic.
Less uncompromising greens
This Sunday (24), ecologist Katrin Göring-Eckardt, influential vice-president of the Bundestag (German Congress), decided on the idea to stop burning the fuel rods of nuclear power plants in a real emergency. It remained an option, still operational, which would extend its lifespan. Failure to do so could lead to difficulties for critical institutions such as hospitals, she said.
This possibility was also presented by social democratic and green representatives from Munich and Lower Saxony, where the Isar 2 and Emsland factories are located. The third factory, Neckarwestheim 2, is in Baden-Württemberg.
Even the ecologist Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, explained that the “emergency” in the country means “having to think of all solutions”.
On the other hand, her colleague Franziska Brantner, Germany’s Minister of State for Climate, warned that Berlin will “take into account the difficult situation France is in” when making its decision, because many nuclear power plants are not operating. “. , due to technical issues.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
[author_name]
