She was once a central pillar of the electricity supply in Germany. At peak times, seventeen operating nuclear power plants carried around forty percent of the base load. As is well known, that changed in 2011 when, in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the black-red federal government under Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to phase out nuclear energy by the end of 2022. Nuclear plants were gradually taken off the grid, and so the share of nuclear energy in the German energy mix steadily decreased – in the course of the shutdown of three nuclear power plants at the end of 2021 from fourteen percent to currently six percent.
The three remaining systems – Neckarwestheim 2 and Isar 2 and Emsland in Bavaria – generate a little more than half as much electricity as all currently installed photovoltaic systems in Germany together (11.2 percent), provided that the sun shines evenly across Germany.
In return, the contribution of coal-fired power plants rose to more than 31 percent, not least because of the loss of Russian natural gas. this of course also increased the CO2-Emissions. If we had not phased out nuclear power or had done so less quickly and instead reduced the proportion of coal, the climate target of 2030 would probably have already been achieved, writes the technology historian Anna Veronika Wendland in her book “Atomic Power? Yes, please!”.
After a long struggle, the remaining three pressurized water reactors will be online until April 15th. Until then, the existing fuel rods can be used. After that, according to the will of Economics and Climate Minister Robert Habeck (the Greens), it is definitely over. And there is a lack of fresh fuel rods for continued operation, as is already being demanded in some cases. These should have been ordered in the middle of last year. Last year, after a thorough examination, the three nuclear power plants that were shut down in December 2021 could have been connected back to the grid and the share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix could have been doubled again to fourteen percent.
This would make it possible to reduce the generation of electricity from gas, especially from coal. In April, the door for Germany’s re-entry into nuclear energy will probably finally close, to the astonishment of many European countries, which have never really understood Germany’s special path. In fact, it is difficult to understand that in this country one does without functioning and reliable energy sources in Germany without necessity and scientific reasons.
The power display of the generator at the Brokdorf nuclear power plant before it was shut down at the end of 2021.
:
Image: dpa
While many political decision-makers, but above all environmental organizations, still have great reservations and fears about nuclear power, a change has been observed in society for some time. In a representative survey by the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation on January 24th of this year, 87 percent of 1,500 respondents had a positive attitude towards nuclear energy. Of these, 44 percent were in favor of using nuclear energy until renewable energies cover energy requirements. 28 percent can imagine nuclear energy being used more.