German cabinet approves 2022 nuclear shutdown

Deutsche Welle, 6 June 2011

The sun may be setting on German
nuclear power, again

Germany's top politicians have approved plans for the country to stop using nuclear power completely in 2022. The legislation, marking an energy U-turn by Chancellor Merkel's government, can now be debated in parliament.

German cabinet members voted in a special session Monday morning to confirm government plans to shut down all the country's nuclear power stations by 2022.

This decision means the proposal can now be debated in the houses of parliament, with Chancellor Angela Merkel's government currently hoping to pass the new law on July 8.

Merkel's administration is seeking to hurry through its energy about-face as quickly as possible, having radically altered its approach to nuclear power since the accident at Japan's Fukushima power plant and the resultant backlash to atomic energy in Germany.

Under the deal, the country's nuclear reactors would be phased out gradually. Eight are set for immediate closure, although one of them might remain operational on a standby basis, if the German Federal Network Agency for Electricity deems it necessary. The remaining nine stations would be shut down between 2015 and 2022.

The German reaction to events at
Fukushima triggered the turnaround

The opposition Social Democrats, who firmly oppose nuclear power, have already hinted that they would probably support the bill.

In that case, provided there was relatively broad support among the ruling coalition, the legislation would pass comfortably. The Green party may oppose the move, campaigning instead for an even quicker shutdown.

Not-so-new policy

It was only in September that Merkel introduced a law that would extend the running times of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years. Prior to the introduction of that law, under legislation introduced by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Germany was set to shut down its atomic energy industry by 2020.

Merkel suspended her legislation extending nuclear running times shortly after the earthquake- and tsunami-triggered accident at Fukushima, and now the chancellor is seeking a new bill very similar to the original Social Democrat and Green decision from the turn of the century.

Large-scale public protests against nuclear power and heavy losses for Merkel's Christian Democrats and her Free Democrat coalition allies in regional elections marked the weeks leading up to this latest decision.

Author: Mark Hallam (dapd, dpa, Reuters)

Editor: Martin Kuebler

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