It was one of the fiercest opponents of nuclear power who announced it on Monday afternoon: two of the three reactors still in service in Germany will remain on standby until mid-April 2023. Faced with growing fears of a crisis energy linked to the gas showdown with Russia, the Ecologist Minister of Economy and Climate Robert Habeck made this decision, according to the website of the weekly Der Spiegel.
On August 21, he had ruled out any extension of the life of the three nuclear power plants still active. Germany intended to say goodbye to the atom at the end of this year. The shutdown of the power plants had been sealed under former Chancellor Angela Merkel after the Fukushima accident in 2011.
A first test in March had concluded that the three nuclear power plants still in operation were not necessary to ensure the energy security of Europe’s leading economy. These currently only produce 6% of Germany’s electricity.
But since then the situation has deteriorated. Based on well-informed sources, the German business daily Handelsblatt said on Friday that it seemed sensible not to close two of the three plants still in operation: Isar 2 (near Munich) and Neckarwestheim 2 (located in Baden-Württemberg, South West). That of Emsland, in Lower Saxony, will close before 2023. As the other two will be on standby, this allows us to say despite everything that the production of nuclear energy ceases in 2022, except in case… According to the Handelsblatt on Monday, the reactors will not be replenished: in mid-April 2023, it will really be the end.
“A blanket life extension would not be defensible, even in view of the safety status of nuclear power plants.” “You can’t play with nuclear energy,” said Robert Habeck. He mentioned a “series of uncertainty factors” to justify this choice, which nevertheless risks irritating the militants of his party.
European solidarity was discussed on Monday by Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. : “Germany needs our gas and we need the electricity produced in the rest of Europe, confesses the French president. The nuclear fleet installed in France faces technical challenges. We have more plants than expected that are under maintenance. Work will thus start very soon to install the necessary connections for the delivery of gas to Germany.