The decision
After a first deliberation of an ethics commission this week-end, the coalition met on Sunday and agreed on a non-nuclear future for Germany.
The country currently has 17 nuclear reactors:
- the 8 oldest reactors had already been closed - 7 were closed temporarily in March, just after the earthquake and tsunami hit Fukushima and 1 has been off the grid for years;
- another 6 will be taken offline by 2021, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen officially announced on Monday, April 29th;
- the remaining 3 ones -the most recent ones- "will stay open for another year until 2022 as a safety buffer to ensure no disruption to power supply", Roettgen added.
This decision, which reflection was initiated after the Fukushima catastrophe, is mainly perceived as a political manipulation as in 2010 the Chancellor had taken the decision to increase the exploitation period of nuclear reactors, against public opinion. This time, the protests -lead by EON and RWE, 2 of the powerful energy companies exploiting the nuclear plants- is likely to be very strong, especially as the German government did not abandonned the tax on nuclear fuel that was created in exchange for a longer exploitation period of the reactors.
"It’s definite: the latest end for the last three nuclear power plants is 2022," the Environment Minister said after the meeting. "There will be no clause for revision." However the decision still needs to go through Parliament.
Did you know that?
In Germany, 22% of the energy needs are currently covered with nuclear power.
Nuclear policy has been at the heart of many disputes for several months in Germany. This issue even helped boost the Green party, which took control of one of the stronghold states of the Christian Democratic Union, Baden-Wuerttemberg, in March 2011.
"The coalition agreed to keep one of the older reactors as a ’cold reserve’ for 2013, if the transition to renewable energies cannot meet winter demand and if fossil fuels do not suffice to make up for a potential shortfall" - Annika Breidhardt for Reuters.
Germany would be the first big industrialized country to take back from nuclear energy...
... However, Austria, Sweden and Italy have already stopped civil nuclear since the 1980’s. Australia, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Spain and Belgium have forbidden all nuclear plant construction project. In some of these countries this was even included in the national law after the Tchernobyl catastrophe occured.
To find more about nuclear power phase-out, click here.
References: EurActiv, Reuters, AFP, Wikipedia.
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