HomeNewsInstead of nuclear phase-out: CSU wants new fuel rods, FDP demands “reactivatable” reactors
A week before the shutdown, CSU General Secretary Alexander Dobrindt wants to “leave the door open for further use”. The Liberals see it the same way.
Dusk or dawn over nuclear power in Germany?dpa
A few days before the planned shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants, CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt called on the federal government to correct this decision. „We should leave the door open for the continued use of nuclear energy,“ said the CSU politician to the German Press Agency in Berlin. There is still the possibility of ordering new fuel rods for the three reactors Neckarwestheim 2, Isar 2 and Emsland, so that they can be connected to the grid again next winter when there is a high energy demand.
„That’s why I’m calling on the federal government to make the necessary decision on fuel procurement so that we don’t experience any blackouts next winter,“ said Dobrindt. In the winter that has just ended, only the relatively mild weather and strong winds would have prevented possible blackouts. “This winter gives a completely deceptive feeling of supposed security. There is no guarantee for the next winter.”
Shutting down the nuclear power plants on April 15 was and will remain a mistake that could take bitter revenge. „By the way, this decision remains wrong, not only from an energy policy perspective, but also from a climate policy perspective.“
The last three German nuclear power plants should actually have been taken off the grid at the end of last year. However, because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis, the traffic light coalition decided last year to let the three reactors continue to run over the winter. On April 15th, however, they are to be finally shut down.
FDP: Nuclear power plants should remain operational until 2024
According to the FDP, Germany should keep open the possibility of continuing to operate the remaining nuclear power plants. The FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag is in favor of the reactors remaining in an operational state for at least a year after they are switched off in mid-April in order to be able to start them up again, reported the “Welt am Sonntag”, citing a policy paper by the liberals on energy policy.
„We are convinced that the order of the exit from the existing nuclear and coal-fired power plants in Germany is wrong with regard to the climate,“ the paper says. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, nuclear power is no longer needed to ensure security of supply, but emergency situations are not always foreseeable. „Therefore, the nuclear power plants should remain capable of being reactivated until the Russian natural gas is fully substituted by other sources – probably in the spring of 2024.
Greens: Nuclear power is a billion dollar grave
The Greens reiterated their negative attitude to nuclear power and referred to a new study by the Technical University of Berlin and the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). „Nuclear power is a billion dollar grave and can only be operated profitably if it is highly subsidized and planned economy interventions,“ said Harald Ebner, member of the Greens.
“Society shoulders most of the costs for accident risks, decades of dismantling and disposal. Lifetime extensions would also burden the state in the billions, because the operators then charge for the cost risks and expenses for continued operation,“ added the chairman of the Bundestag Committee for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
The study by the TU Berlin and the DIW on behalf of the Greens parliamentary group deals with the economic aspects of nuclear power. „Since the beginning of the nuclear age, nuclear power has been the most expensive option for generating electricity – and today, renewable energies such as wind and PV are many times cheaper,“ says the short report. „In fact, demands for the continued operation of nuclear power plants in Germany or even the construction of new ones lack any economic basis.“
Germany’s exit from nuclear energy, originally planned for the turn of the year, will finally be completed in April: the remaining three German nuclear power plants Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2 and Emsland will be taken off the grid by April 15 at the latest.