German Economy Minister Robert Habeck excludes the possibility of extending the service life of the three remaining nuclear power plants in order to save natural gas on the basis that these savings will not exceed 2% of natural gas consumption in the country. This percentage is not enough to restart the public debate about ending the use of atomic energy, since there is a consensus on this issue, the minister added in an interview with citizens at the open day of the German government.

Former chancellor Angela Merkel pushed through legislation to phase out nuclear power by the end of this year following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Most German voters were in favor, but some have now changed their minds for fear of an energy crisis in the middle of winter following cuts in Russian gas supplies. The three-party ruling coalition is also divided on the issue.

“This is not the right decision (including the extension of the operation of nuclear facilities), as we will save very little,” explained Habek, a member of the Greens, a party rooted in the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s and 80s.

In later statements, Habek said Germany had a good chance of making it through the coming winter without taking drastic measures, but it still faces tough times and needs to be prepared for the possibility that Russia will further cut natural gas supplies. .

“We still have a very critical winter ahead of us. We should expect this to lead to a further reduction in natural gas,” Hambeck said in an interview with the German state broadcaster ARD from Canada, where he is on a three-day visit with Chancellor Olaf Soltz.

Lindner Dissent

On the other hand, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, a pro-business Liberal Democrat, reaffirmed his position that it would be better to extend the life of nuclear plants for a limited period than to bring coal-fired plants back on the grid. “We should not be too selective, but open to all possibilities,” he said, adding that he himself, under the current circumstances, would agree to an extension “for several years.”

Habek said he was ready to extend the operation of the nuclear power plant in Bavaria if the stress test showed that it was necessary to ensure the stability of the power grid in winter. But he accused Bavaria, a state that depends on gas-fired plants and has few coal-fired plants, of possibly exacerbating the problem by not building wind farms to improve the grid.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the result of the stress test would be known by the end of August or early September, and only then would a final decision be made. He also noted that the situation in France, where almost half of the reactors are disabled due to corrosion and maintenance problems, showed how problematic this nuclear technology is.

The new installations were so expensive that they raised the price of electricity, unlike renewables, the chancellor said.

with information from AFP, Reuters, APE-MPE