Germany is closing three of its six nuclear power plants today. The other three will also have to close next year. From then on, Germany will no longer produce nuclear energy. The planned closure comes in the middle of the energy crisis that grips Europe and puts relations with Russia on edge.
Germany had already promised years ago that it would gradually reduce its nuclear capacity. The protests following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster prompted former Chancellor Angela Merkel to indeed decide to abolish nuclear power. Germany also wants to close the other three nuclear power plants in Neckarwestheim, Essenbach and Emsland by the end of 2022.
The closure of the power stations in Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen could increase the pressure on the energy market: the nuclear capacity in Germany will be halved and energy production will be reduced by approximately 4 gigawatts. This corresponds to the capacity of about 1000 wind turbines.
energy crisis
With energy prices soaring in Europe, the timing does not seem favourable. The price of a megawatt hour of gas on the Dutch futures market rose to 188 euros per megawatt hour earlier this month. This made gas ten times more expensive than at the beginning of the year. After that, prices fell again, but they remained high. Electricity prices have also risen sharply.
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Prices are fueled by geopolitical tensions with Russia, which supplies a third of Europe’s gas. Western countries accuse Russia of limiting gas supplies to put pressure on Europe amid tensions over the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow also wants the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be commissioned quickly to transport more gas from Russia to Germany.
Depends on Russian gas
The end of nuclear power in Germany is likely to push energy prices even further, experts say. In addition, Germany may become even more dependent on Russian gas in the short term. Certainly because projects for the development of renewable energy have been delayed and Germany may therefore have to resort to fossil energy.
Some Germans have therefore called for a reconsideration of the decision to close nuclear power plants in order to meet the climate targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the German government has said that shutting down all nuclear power plants and phasing out the use of coal by 2030 will not affect energy security or the ambition to be climate neutral by 2045.
“By greatly increasing the use of renewable energy sources, and accelerating the expansion of the electricity grid, we can show that this is possible in Germany,” said Minister of Economy and Climate, Robert Habeck.
Campaign for nuclear energy as a sustainable source
Other EU countries, including the Netherlands and France, do see a future in nuclear energy. It also campaigns to include nuclear energy on the EU list of renewable energy sources eligible for investment. In Germany too, public opinion on nuclear energy seems to be softening.
The three reactors that are now being closed started operating in the mid-1980s. They have powered millions of German households for nearly four decades.
It has yet to be decided where the tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste from Germany’s nuclear power plants should be stored. Experts say some of the material can continue to emit dangerous amounts of radiation for up to 35,000 generations.
In Germany, two cooling towers of an old nuclear power plant were destroyed last year:
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