German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is a member of the Soyuz-90/Green Party, ruled out extending the life of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants to save gas. It will be possible to reduce gas consumption by a maximum of two percent, subject to the continued operation of the nuclear plant, the politician said on Sunday, August 21, during a conversation with citizens as part of the federal government’s Open Day.

“For the little we will gain from it, this is the wrong decision,” Habek said, noting that there are other ways to save gas. And for that, according to the vice chancellor, one should not go back to the search for consensus on the issue of abandoning atomic energy.

Another issue is the sustainability of power systems and power supply, especially in Bavaria in winter: under certain conditions this can become an issue, said Robert Habek. Although Bavaria does not sufficiently use wind energy as an alternative energy source, it is necessary to guarantee the continuity of energy supply to this federal state, he stressed. However, the stress test results for Bavaria are not yet available, said the vice chancellor.

Whether nuclear plants will continue to operate, it happens during the stress test

The German government had already instructed electricity grid operators to carry out a so-called stress test, the results of which should be known in the coming weeks. The audit is examining whether it is necessary to temporarily extend the operation of Germany’s three remaining nuclear power plants to maintain the stability of the power system and ensure the security of energy supply. Nuclear power plants in Germany must be decommissioned on December 31.

Meanwhile, neighboring France has closed many nuclear power plants for repairs and is therefore partially supplied with electricity from Germany. The problem for France could increase in winter, as the country’s buildings are largely heated by electricity.

Every second inhabitant of Germany – to the extent of operation of nuclear power plants

Meanwhile, 50 percent of Germany’s inhabitants are willing to return to producing electricity at the expense of nuclear power plants, 35 percent are against it, according to the results of a survey by the sociological institute Insa published in June.

At the same time, most Germans do not agree with the construction of new nuclear power plants. 53% of respondents are against. Most opponents of a return to nuclear power are among the Social Democrats and the Greens, while the rest consider this a reasonable option. In addition, 53% of respondents said they were not afraid of nuclear power plants, and 38% of respondents were afraid of nuclear power plants.