Merkel's Energy Plan Is 'A Gift to the Nuclear Industry'
Germany's nuclear plants were due to be phased out by 2021. Now Chancellor Merkel has given them a 12-year reprieve as part of a transition to a low-emissions future. German commentators are critical of the government's new energy strategy, calling it a victory for the nuclear lobby.
After months of debate, the German government announced a
controversial new policy on Sunday evening to extend the lifespans of the nation's nuclear power plants. They were scheduled to go offline -- under a phase-out law forged under former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder -- by 2021 at the latest. Now, however, each viable reactor will run for an average of 12 years beyond its current decommissioning date, with newer reactors staying online for an additional 14 years.
Environmentalists have called the new policy a gift to the nuclear lobby. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has tried to soften the blow by arguing that nuclear energy plays an essential role as a "bridge" technology in a national transition from conventional fuels to renewable energies by the mid-21st century. Merkel's plan -- developed by her coalition government of conservative Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) -- promises significant government subsidies for wind, solar and biomass technologies, and it sets ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The plan aims for an 80 percent slash in emissions by 2050.
The fact that nuclear energy is almost CO2-free may help achieve that goal, but the government also wants Germans to become more energy efficient. By supporting a national program of renovating German buildings it hopes to slash energy demand over the next four decades by 40 percent.
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