The nuclear power plants were supposed to be closed at the end of last year, but that closure has been postponed due to the energy crisis. The FDP believes that the energy crisis is not over yet and that the power plants should therefore stay open even longer. The party is supported in Germany: even a small majority of the German population is against the closure, according to the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
German industry is also critical. Peter Adrian, president of the German Chamber of Commerce, warns that halting nuclear power could lead to higher energy prices. Also, many jobs will be lost with the closure, says Marseille.
Fukushima
The rest of the coalition, led by the Greens, has nevertheless continued the closure. “The Greens have had this position for a long time,” says Marseille. “This gave the government the final push, but it’s also just a very practical story: it’s not enough to pull the plug on a nuclear power plant, it has to be shut down slowly over years.”
“It is not enough to unplug a nuclear power plant”
The shutdown began twelve years ago, then under the leadership of Merkel. Germany actually wanted to shut down all nuclear power plants in 2001, and Merkel decided to do it, Marseille says. “After the Fukushima nuclear disaster, she too opposed nuclear power plants.”
Renewable
Due to the shutdown, Germany will have to rely more on energy from coal-fired plants in the near term, says Marseille. ‘Half of Germany’s energy supply is currently made up of coal. Coal-fired plants have earned seventeen billion euros more, while nuclear energy has halved.’
The Greens want to replace nuclear energy with renewable energy. Germany wants an energy mix of at least 80 percent renewable energy by 2030, targets that will remain, stressed Minister Robert Habeck responsible for the economy and climate.
Beyond the border
The shutdown comes at a time when neighboring countries are focusing more on nuclear power. The Netherlands wants to build two more nuclear power plants and strengthen the existing plant in Borsele. Minister Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) will stick to that plan, he said Wednesday.
Marseille: ‘Sometimes just twenty kilometers from the border with Germany, in all directions, there is still nuclear energy. So if something goes wrong, the Germans are now not immune.” However, he adds, the Germans don’t want to be able to find locations for new nuclear power plants.
No consequences
The German shutdown will have no consequences for the Dutch energy supply, says Marseille. ‘But the Netherlands plays an important role in plans to replace German nuclear power. The Netherlands will have an even more crucial position in the future of Germany’s energy supply.’