Germany squabbles over nuclear shutdown amid gas supply worries

BERLIN (AP) — Growing concern over the impact of a possible Russian gas cut is fueling debate in Germany over whether the country should shut down its last three nuclear power plants as planned at the end of this year.

The door to some kind of extension seemed to open after the Economy Ministry announced a new “stress test” on the security of electricity supply in mid-July. It is supposed to take into account a more difficult scenario than a previous test, concluded in May, which revealed that supplies were assured.

Since then, Russia has reduced its natural gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany at 20% capacity amid war-related tensions in Ukraine. He cited technical problems which Germany says are just an excuse for political power play. Russia has recently accounted for about a third of Germany’s gas supply, and there are fears it could turn off the tap altogether.

The main opposition bloc, the Union, is increasingly calling for an extension of the lifespan of nuclear power plants. Similar calls have come from the smaller party in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, the business-friendly Free Democrats.

“Many argue for not shutting down safe and climate-friendly nuclear power plants, but if necessary using them until 2024,” Finance Minister Christian Lindner, leader of the Free Democrats, told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. . He called on Economy Minister Robert Habeck, responsible for energy, to stop using gas to produce electricity.

Calls for the extension of the use of nuclear energy are troublesome for the other two ruling parties, the center-left Social Democrats of Scholz and, in particular, the Green Ecologists of Habeck. Opposition to nuclear power is a cornerstone of the identity of the Greens; a social-democratic-green government launched Germany’s nuclear phase-out two decades ago.

A government comprised of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Union and Free Democrats set the current shape of nuclear phaseout in 2011, shortly after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster. He asks that the three reactors still operational be taken offline at the end of December.

Habeck has long argued that keeping these reactors running would be legally and technically complex and would do little to solve the problems caused by the lack of gas, arguing that natural gas is not so much a factor in the production of electricity as a power supply for industrial processes and heating.

“We have a heating problem or an industry problem, but not an electricity problem – at least not generally across the country,” he said in early July.

In the first quarter of this year, nuclear power plants represented 6% of German electricity production and gas 13%. Lindner said “we have to work to make sure an electricity crisis is not on top of the gas crisis”.

Some Greens have indicated some degree of openness in recent days to allow one or more reactors to continue operating for a short time with their existing fuel rods, if the country faces a power supply emergency – but not for a longer period.

Others aren’t impressed with the idea. It is “also an extension of the lifespan” of reactors that would require a change in existing law, “and we will not touch it”, said prominent green lawmaker Juergen Trittin – German environment minister when phasing out nuclear power was first worked out. The Saturday Tagesspiegel newspaper.

Critics say it’s not enough anyway. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz urged the government to immediately order new fuel rods for the remaining reactors. Opposition lawmaker Alexander Dobrindt called for three reactors already shut down be reactivated and told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that “in this situation, life extensions of nuclear power by at least another five years are conceivable”.

And Scholz’s position? Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said last week that it was awaiting the results of the “stress test”, which are expected in the coming weeks.

The government has already given the green light utility companies to light up 10 idle coal-fired and six oil-fired power plants, and also plans to pave the way for the reactivation of idle lignite-fired power plants. Eleven other coal-fired power plants that were due to close in November will be allowed to continue operating.