Germany will maintain two nuclear energy vegetation on standby till subsequent spring to stop an vitality scarcity, officers stated on Monday, regardless of its plan to part out the facility supply by the top of this yr.
The announcement got here following an influence system stress check to look at the safety of the nation’s electrical energy grid for the winter.
The federal government stated the stress check was due partially to the summer time droughts, French nuclear energy issues, and the tense vitality market state of affairs amid Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
It concluded that whereas an electrical energy disaster or outage was unlikely, they “can not fully be dominated out”.
Germany’s economics and local weather safety minister Robert Habeck assured in a press release on the federal government’s web site, that Germany has a excessive safety of provide for vitality.
He stated that the conflict in Ukraine had created a tense state of affairs and that the federal government was doing every part it may to keep away from a fuel scarcity.
“It’s nonetheless most unlikely that there might be disaster conditions and excessive situations,” Habeck added within the assertion.
He specified that Germany would proceed to part out nuclear vitality with simply two vegetation remaining open via the 2022/2023 winter in southern Germany: Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim.
“Nuclear energy is and can stay a high-risk expertise, and the extremely radioactive waste will burden tens of generations to come back,” Habeck added.
A part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition authorities, Habeck is the previous co-leader of the German Greens social gathering which is towards nuclear energy.
The nation was meant to part out its nuclear energy vegetation by the top of this yr attributable to former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s authorities determination following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
European governments are beneath stress to handle rising issues of pure fuel shortages and attainable energy or heating outages this winter.
Russia lately minimize fuel provides via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline whereas international locations scramble to search out different sources of pure fuel – usually used for heating.
European leaders are urging customers to save lots of vitality in preparation for the winter.
