The Bundestag decided in 2011 that the last three nuclear reactors in Germany are to be taken off the grid by the end of the year. In view of the energy crisis, Finance Minister Lindner is considering an exit from the exit. This also causes irritation among nuclear power plant operators.
According to FDP chairman Christian Lindner, Germany must also openly discuss the return to nuclear power in the energy debate. "People expect that all options will be considered because of climate protection, dependence on Putin and inflation," said the Federal Finance Minister of the "Bild" newspaper.
From an economic point of view, he is not yet convinced that new investments in nuclear power really pay off. "But Germany must not close its eyes to a debate that is being conducted all over the world. I advise presenting the arguments on the table without prejudice."
However, his colleague in the cabinet and Economics Minister Robert Habeck no longer sees a need for discussion in this regard. "There's not much more to say about nuclear energy. The subject was reviewed professionally at the beginning of the legislature, free of ideology. That was decided by the relevant ministries - and also politically. That's not a path that Germany will go any further," explained the Green politician the "Bild" newspaper.
In 2011, the Bundestag decided to reverse the extension of the service life for the remaining reactors. In the meantime, only the Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 nuclear power plants are still connected to the grid in Germany. They should also be switched off by the end of the year. The economy and environment ministries had already rejected an extension of the terms because of the new situation after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Instead, the energy transition towards renewable power sources should be promoted. Chancellor Olaf Scholz had also spoken out against the continued operation of nuclear power plants.
The operators of the last three nuclear power plants in Germany reacted with irritation to Lindner's initiative. Continued operation beyond the specified end date for German nuclear energy on December 31, 2022 "would be associated with high technical and licensing hurdles," said a spokesman for RWE AG of the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ).
There is "a clear legal regulation for shutting down nuclear power plants," the spokesman continued. The federal government and the energy ministers of the federal states also declared in March that an extension of the service life was not an option "in order to increase security of supply and reduce dependence on gas supplies from Russia". The EnBW group made similar statements to the NOZ request.
