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Why is Germany delaying plans to close nuclear power plants?

2022-10-18 20:01:12Fokus SHKRUAR NGA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Why is Germany delaying plans to close nuclear power plants?
The Isar nuclear power plant in Bavaria

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered preparations for the country's three remaining nuclear reactors to continue operating until mid-April. The move marks another setback in the country's long-term plan to end the use of atomic energy. Below you can read an explanation of Germany's strong political debate about the use of nuclear energy.

CONSEQUENCES FROM THE COLD WAR

West and East Germany began producing nuclear power in the 1960s, when it was widely considered a safe and clean alternative to the highly polluting coal the country had long relied on for most of its energy needs. Dozens of reactors of various types were built over the following decades. The most recent power plant began operating in 1989, about a year before the country's reunification.

PROTESTS AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Concerns about the dangers of nuclear power increased after the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant incident in the US in 1979 and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. These incidents spurred the West German environmental movement and the creation of the now Green Party. is part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition.

CLOSURE PLAN OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

A center-left government of the Social Democrats and the Greens passed a law in 2002 that banned the construction of new nuclear power plants in Germany and called for the shutdown of all existing reactors in the following decades. The law was part of a broader effort to shift energy production in Germany, known as the "Energiewende," or energy transition, away from fossil-based fuels and toward renewable sources such as wind and solar.

REVIEW OF THE FIRST PLAN

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative government announced in 2010 that Germany would extend the operation of its nuclear power plants, in part to ensure a sufficient supply of cheap and lower-carbon energy. Nuclear power plants release far fewer harmful gases than coal or fuel-fired power plants and provide a stable power supply regardless of the weather. The amount of solar or wind energy production depends on the weather, sunny or windy days.

THE IMPACT OF THE NUCLEAR INCIDENT IN FUKUSHIMA

The 2011 incident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant sparked a rapid turnaround, prompting Chancellor Angela Merkel to declare that Germany would in fact now accelerate efforts to phase out nuclear power and shut down the last nuclear power plant at the end of 2022. This decision had broad support among voters, but critics pointed out that Germany risked facing electricity shortages unless the level of renewable energy production increased significantly. To avoid this, Germany began importing natural gas, most of it from Russia, until it secured sufficient solar and wind power. Efforts to find a long-term storage site for Germany's nuclear waste are also still ongoing,

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

With the flow of gas from Russia down, sharply reduced by the war in Ukraine and rising global energy prices, the German government has been trying to prevent an energy crisis this winter. Officials have argued that the three remaining nuclear plants provide only 6% of the country's electricity, and real shortages are likely to be felt most in the heating sector, which is supplied mainly by gas and coal. But with pressure mounting to provide heat for its citizens and show solidarity with neighboring countries, the Greens-led Energy and Environment ministries agreed to extend the operation of the two nuclear plants.

Fearing power outages and high prices, the Free Democrats, also part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, have recently called for the three reactors to continue operating as long as necessary. Experts think that this measure will not be enough and the Greens have expressed strong opposition to it. Rising political pressure and the risk of a major disagreement erupting within the government prompted Chancellor Scholz to intervene on Monday with his junior coalition partners to reach a compromise to keep the reactors operating until April.


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