Germany ends nuclear era by shutting down last three power plants

Berlin: Reaching its final step in quitting nuclear power, Germany on Saturday pulled the plug on its last three nuclear power stations, ending the country’s nuclear era that began almost six decades ago.

The nuclear power stations of Isar II, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II have been completely shut down in a bid to end the country’s reliance on energy that is perceived as dangerous and unsustainable.

Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection, Steffi Lemke, told CNN, “The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable.”

Berlin has an ambitious goal of turning to fully renewable electricity by 2035 and by shutting down the last three nuclear plants on Saturday, it reached a little bit closer to achieving its aim.

Steffi added, “We are embarking on a new era of energy production.”

The plan to completely abolish the use of nuclear energy in Germany was originally slated for 2022. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dwindled gas supplies while energy ministers in Europe’s largest economy scrambled to look for ways to keep the lights on.

At the time, the president of the German Chambers of Commerce Peter Adrian said, “Germany had to “expand the supply of energy and not restrict it any further in light of potential shortages and high prices.”

The three final plants provided just six percent of Germany’s energy last year, compared with 30.8 percent of all nuclear plants in 1997.

As authorities shut down the power plants, Economy Minister Robert Habeck assured that the government has the energy situation “under control” with filled gas stores and new infrastructure for the import of liquefied natural gas to bridge the gap left by Russian supplies in place.

Not everyone on board

Many have criticised the government’s decision to shut down the last existing nuclear power plants.

Arnold Vaatz, a former lawmaker for Merkel’s Christian Democrats (SPD), said that the shutting down of the plants is a well-intended plan to sway a state election in Baden Wuerttemberg where the issue was playing into the hands of the Greens.

Vaatz said, “I called it the biggest economic stupidity by the party since (it was first in government it) 1949 and I’m sticking to that.”

Meanwhile, some critics think that turning off a low-carbon plant is irrational. Leah Stokes, a professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California told CNN, “We need to keep existing, safe nuclear reactors operating while simultaneously ramping up renewables as fast as possible.”

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.