The CDU wants nuclear power plants as an “option”. The industry has given a clear rejection. The top nuclear power plant safety official warns against such plans.
Berlin – In terms of energy policy, the CDU is also focusing on a return to nuclear power. According to media reports, this emerges from a draft resolution for the closed meeting of the Federal Executive Board, which begins on January 12th in Heidelberg. “A change of course is now needed,” says the “Heidelberg Declaration,” which was published in the magazine on Wednesday Mirror and the Bavaria Media Group reported. The use of nuclear power should continue to be an option. At the time, CDU leader Friedrich Merz called the day the last nuclear power plants were shut down “black day for Germany”. In addition to the CDU, the FDP is also open to resuming nuclear power production.
The energy industry is now pushing for the construction of new gas power plants and has warned of a new nuclear debate. Nuclear energy is very cost-intensive, said the chief executive of the Federal Association of the Energy Industry, Kerstin Andreae, on Thursday, the news agency reported Reuters. The three previous nuclear power operators all said it was not an option. The outgoing head of the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management took stock of the nuclear power debate at the beginning of January: “The fact is that the construction of nuclear power plants in practice is completely different than what was promised, both in terms of time and economics,” said König German press agency. Anyone who nurtures hope for this technology today ignores all the risks that the accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima would have shown.
“Renewables at the center” – New gas power plants will also use hydrogen in the future
“It’s clear to us: renewables are at the center,” said Andrae. In order to compensate for the growing but fluctuating production of solar and wind power, new, flexible gas power plants are needed that will have to be operated with hydrogen in the future. The systems, which would only rarely run, now urgently need to be put out to tender and funded by the federal government. “We must not reduce the pressure behind this power plant strategy by presenting another option,” she said, referring to nuclear power.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has announced a power plant strategy with which new gas power plants will be built. Unlike coal or nuclear power plants, these can be started up and shut down quickly. This will be increasingly necessary as the share of wind and solar power is constantly growing, but fluctuates greatly. In 2023, for the first time, more than half of electricity consumption was covered by renewable energies. The gas power plants are also necessary in order to phase out coal power as quickly as possible. The Greens want this by 2030.
BDEW managing director Andreae said time was running out. A gas power plant generally takes six years from planning to commissioning. Around 15 gigawatts of hydrogen-capable systems will be needed by 2030. This corresponds to around 15 nuclear power plants. For the years after 2030, another 15 gigawatts will be needed, said Andreae. The CDU wrote the call for the use of nuclear power into its policy program last year. (rtrs/dpa/afp/kb)
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