Latest nuclear reactors they will continue to operate throughout the winter in Germany, although they were supposed to close for good at the end of the year. This is reported by the industry association Kerntechnik Deutschland, according to which the three power units will continue to produce energy until spring. However, they will operate at low tariffs so that additional fuel is not required and will provide an alternative to natural gas shortages.

It’s an option that could convince German politicians to extend the life of these nuclear plants as the energy crisis is expected to worsen in the winter when demand peaks. German Environment Minister and Greens member Steffi Lemke left open the possibility of agreeing to extend the life of a nuclear reactor in Bavaria by another year to provide the needed energy. Nuclear energy accounts for about 12% of Germany’s electricity consumption, according to research firm Ember, and according to Energy EON, the government has already decided not to extend the operation of nuclear power plants. Other energy companies, RWE AG and EnBW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG, declined to comment on the matter. A short-term extension of the operation of nuclear power plants may provide the energy needed for the winter, but may also open up discussion about further operation. However, the appropriate decision must be made quickly, because it takes about 12 months to produce and provide the appropriate energy.

If Germany again extends the operation of nuclear reactors by a few years instead of months, utilities will now be able to provide the necessary energy to extend their operation until the winter of 2023-2024. Germany has initiated the permanent closure of nuclear power plants since 2000, when it passed a corresponding bill linking the abolition of nuclear power with an increase in renewable generation. Since then, funding for solar and wind energy projects has increased with the aim of making renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuels. It is, of course, so deeply ingrained in the minds of the German nation that it should abandon nuclear power that even when Russia cut off natural gas supplies, German politicians preferred to increase the capacity of coal-fired plants before committing themselves to extending the life of nuclear reactors. As BNEF analyst Keswartini Savarimutu points out, “Nuclear power plant extensions will have only a marginal impact on energy prices, as coal is still being offered to Germany throughout the winter in these market conditions.” At the same time, he clarifies that “expanding the operation of nuclear power plants will be more effective in terms of ensuring greater energy security in order to save natural gas consumption.”