Study on the continued operation of nuclear power plants: BUND: "Nuclear power is unsafe, unprofitable and unnecessary"

Germany fears for its energy security.

Study on the continued operation of nuclear power plants: BUND: "Nuclear power is unsafe, unprofitable and unnecessary"

Germany fears for its energy security. Soon not enough gas could arrive from Russia. For some politicians, the solution is to leave nuclear power plants connected to the grid longer. A new study examines the benefits and risks - and comes to a clear conclusion.

The Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) considers the continued operation of the nuclear power plants to be inappropriate - and warns the Greens against moving away from their no to it. "The demands for the continued operation of German nuclear power plants are populist," said BUND boss Olaf Bandt in Berlin. He was "shocked" that the Greens were also considering continuing to operate. Its chairman Ricarda Lang has meanwhile clearly rejected continued operation.

According to the association, a safety study commissioned by BUND shows that continued operation cannot be approved due to unresolved safety issues. "Nuclear power is unsafe, unprofitable and unnecessary," said Bandt. "Anyone who, in view of the impending gas bottlenecks, claims that a warm winter can only be made possible with nuclear power is leading a bogus debate and calculating the performance of the nuclear power plants nicely."

Bandt criticized that both the opposition and the governing parties frivolously put the societal contract on the nuclear phase-out, which was supported by a broad consensus eleven years ago, up for negotiation. "For me, parts of the Greens are questioning the basic consensus when the party was founded with the debate about possible extended terms."

Bandt pointed out that the power plant operators considered continued operation to be technically feasible, but did not want to assume the economic and safety-related responsibility for it. The federal government would then have to take over this, with outdated safety standards.

In the opinion of the BUND, continued operation of the nuclear power plants would make no significant contribution to the energy supply. In order to avoid a power shortage in winter, it makes perfect sense to use coal-fired power plants, said Bandt. "We can still achieve the climate goals if we bring forward the coal phase-out in 2030." Bandt also advocated limited gas imports via LNG terminals, but criticized the "immense planning of up to twelve new LNG terminals".

Green leader Lang said in "ntv Frühstart" that the facts speak against nuclear power. This could not compensate for the lack of gas in Germany. Therefore, Lang criticizes the supporters from the Union and the FDP. Both would currently outdo each other with demands and "it is pretended that the problems in autumn and winter can be solved with it".

The Greens have so far been against continued operation. However, there are also other voices. Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt recently said on the ARD talk show "Anne Will" that in a real emergency situation it could be discussed whether the fuel rods of the running nuclear power plants should burn out, which would then keep the power plants connected to the grid longer.

The President of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), Wolfram König, expressed skepticism about longer terms. "In the current debate, a central aspect is missing - the most important benchmark in dealing with the high-risk technology nuclear power is and remains safety," said König to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).

Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn, on the other hand, warned the traffic light coalition against a “half-baked decision”. The currently discussed stretching operation is not sufficient, he told the newspapers of the new Berlin editorial company. "We need as many nuclear power plants as possible to continue operating as long as this crisis lasts." Everything else would "otherwise Germany pay dearly".