Minutes after the word of power on nuclear power, FDP leader Lindner praised Chancellor Scholz. The Greens react cautiously to disturbed. While Habeck is silent, the old Green Trittin refers to the autonomy of the economics minister.
The Greens are reacting cautiously to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to continue operating the German nuclear power plants until April 2023. "The Emsland nuclear power plant is not necessary for grid stability," wrote Green Party leader Ricarda Lang on Twitter. "Accordingly, we do not consider it necessary to continue operating. The Chancellor has now made use of his authority to issue guidelines. We will hold talks about this." Lang emphasized that Scholz's decision made it clear "that no new fuel rods will be procured and that all German nuclear power plants will finally go offline by April 15, 2023 at the latest". The FDP had called for continued operation until at least 2024 and the purchase of new fuel rods.
The Greens parliamentary group leaders Katharina Dröge and Britta Haßelmann expressed themselves similarly to Lang. "We note that Chancellor Olaf Scholz is exercising his authority to set guidelines. We will now discuss with our parliamentary group how to deal with the Chancellor's decision." Dröge and Haßelmann called it "regrettable that Olaf Scholz and the SPD are apparently willing to put the Emsland nuclear power plant into reserve operation, although there is no factual or technical reason for this". The two parliamentary group leaders also emphasized that no new fuel elements would be procured and that all power plants would be taken off the grid by April at the latest.
The Greens actually only wanted to keep the two southern German nuclear power plants Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg as reserves in the energy crisis until next spring; that the nuclear power plants would actually continue to run during this period was considered very likely. The Greens' position was once again lashed down at the party conference in Bonn on Friday. The question of how to proceed with the Emsland nuclear power plant also played a major role in the state election campaign in Lower Saxony. A cabinet decision prepared by Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck to only allow continued operation for the two southern German nuclear reactors was recently put on hold.
After several attempts at agreement in the coalition on the issue had failed, Scholz declared that all three remaining nuclear power plants should be able to continue operating until mid-April. With his authority to issue guidelines, he has the legal basis for this, it said in a letter addressed to the cabinet.
Green politician Jürgen Trittin reacted indignantly. "It may be that the letter is covered by the Federal Government's rules of procedure, but it is not by the Basic Law," said the former Federal Environment Minister to the editorial network Germany. "After that, the ministers run their departments on their own responsibility. The rules of procedure of the federal government also do not bind the parliamentary groups in the implementation of a drafting aid for a law." Economics Minister Habeck made no comments until late in the evening.
The FDP had praised Scholz's decision. Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner welcomed the decision to continue operating three nuclear power plants for a limited period of time. "It is in the vital interest of our country and its economy that we maintain all energy production capacities this winter. The Chancellor has now clarified things," said Lindner just minutes after the Chancellor's word of power was published.
