The FDP energy politician Kruse told the "Bild" newspaper on Tuesday that the time until spring 2024 was "the period in which we are threatened with energy shortages".
The FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr is also pushing for an extension of the life of the three remaining reactors in Germany. "We expect European solidarity for the winter," he said to "Bild". It is therefore right that Germany also shows solidarity. "We must therefore also use everything that can contribute to the production of electricity. Nuclear power plants are part of it," emphasized the parliamentary group leader.
CSU boss Söder said after a meeting of the Bavarian cabinet in Munich that "now is the time not to constantly throw smoke screens, but finally to make clear and courageous decisions". Nuclear power must continue until 2024. It is "the minimum" to extend the life of the three nuclear power plants that are still active. However, this should not only be in a so-called stretching operation over a few months.
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt called for a quick change of course from the federal government. "This includes the urgent decision to keep the nuclear power plants running," Dobrindt told the Funke newspapers on Tuesday.
Aiwanger told Deutschlandfunk that everything that was responsible had to be put back online. The Bavarian Gundremmingen C nuclear power plant, which was shut down at the end of 2021, has fuel rods that could supply electricity until August 2023. The two other power plants that were taken off the grid at the time should also be restarted, the Bavarian Economics Minister demanded.
At the end of 2021, in addition to Gundremmingen C, the power plants in Brokdorf (Schleswig-Holstein) and Grohnde (Lower Saxony) were also taken off the grid.
Aiwanger also called for longer service lives for the three nuclear power plants that are still in operation. For example, the Bavarian nuclear power plant Isar 2 could continue to work with the existing fuel rods until August 2023.
In addition to Isar 2, the Neckarwestheim 2 (Baden-Württemberg) and Emsland (Lower Saxony) power plants are also currently running. According to the current status, they are to be switched off at the end of the year.
The leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament, Ludwig Hartmann, does not want to rule out an extension of the lifespan of the remaining power plants. "The main thing for us is to ensure security of supply." If the second stress test should show that individual power plants "are necessary in extreme cases to maintain the power supply or grid stability, we have to react accordingly depending on the system," Hartmann told the "Augsburger Allgemeine" on Tuesday.
A first stress test by the Federal Ministry of Economics for the electricity supply in the spring showed that Germany's security of supply was guaranteed even under difficult conditions. A second test is currently underway, the result of which is expected in the next few weeks.
During a visit to Prague, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) referred to the minor importance of nuclear energy in heat supply. "We need security of supply for heat, since nuclear power plants don't play a decisive role," she said. Baerbock also referred to the first stress test in spring, which showed that the continued operation of the nuclear power plants would make no difference.
