Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has ruled out extending the service lives of the three nuclear power plants still in use in Germany. As a member of the Greens, term extensions are "not an option for you," said Baerbock on Wednesday during a visit to Montreal, Canada.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had previously said that he considered nuclear power plants to be able to run longer. The three nuclear power plants are only relevant for a small part of the electricity production. "But it can still make sense. Because the level of expansion in terms of renewable energies varies greatly in the individual countries in Germany."
Baerbock said: "The chancellor also underlined, I think that's important in his statements, that we are talking about the heat and thus the gas supply." Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has already emphasized that "these nuclear power plants do not play a significant role" in securing the heat supply in winter, because nuclear power plants produce electricity.
However, Baerbock also pointed out that with the so-called stress test, "all eventualities" with a view to the energy supply in autumn and winter would be checked again.
