Berlin, Sept. 6 (BNA): Two of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants are scheduled to be put on standby until mid-April 2023, rather than shutting down as planned at the end of the year, as the government struggles to find solutions. For energy problems with the approach of winter.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said the two power plants – Isar 2 in Bavaria and Nyckarwestheim in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg – will remain back-ups in case they are needed to stabilize Germany’s southern power grid this winter.
This announcement comes after a stress test for network operators. It found that the remaining three power plants could only make a limited contribution in critical situations if they continued to operate.
However, the Economy Minister said the government supports the temporary transfer of the two nuclear power plants in southern Germany to reserve mode. They have to contribute to the power supply only in case of emergency.
Habeck said that all three nuclear power plants in Germany will be decommissioned as planned at the end of 2022.
“We are committed to the phase-out of nuclear weapons as stipulated in the Atomic Energy Act,” he said. “No new fuel items will be loaded, and mid-April 2023 is also the end of the reserve.”
He said nuclear power remains a high-risk technology. “And highly radioactive waste will burden dozens of future generations. Nuclear power should not be tampered with.”
Also, a blanket life extension would be unjustified in light of the safety status of nuclear power plants. “With the operational reserve, we take into account the risks of nuclear technology and the special situation in the winter of 22/23.”
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said nuclear power generally has a secondary role compared to other urgent measures to ensure network security in critical situations.
Among other things, the transmission system operators advised increasing transmission capacity between the north and south and securing the capacity of the power plant to compensate for grid bottlenecks offshore.
The 50 Hertz transmission system operator, Stefan Kapferer, explained that large electricity consumers should also be allowed to forgo their electricity consumption in exchange for compensation.
The last three nuclear plants were on the verge of closing permanently by the end of this year in a series of policies dubbed “Energiewende” or “energy transition”, which trace back to German Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s predecessor, Angela Merkel.
But a growing number of politicians have been calling for their operating life to be extended, saying this would provide an alternative should natural gas supplies run short this winter.
“We are not in a situation here in which we can hope for the best, but we have to expect the worst,” Habeck said. “We as a government and I as a minister responsible for security of supply in Germany must make the right decision. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure this security of supply.”
The decision to keep the reactors on standby came after bickering in Schulz’s three-party coalition government made up of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Liberal Democrats (FDP).
Previously, the pro-business FDP campaigned for the continued operation of nuclear power plants.
The Green Party, linked for decades to the country’s anti-nuclear movement, has repeatedly ruled out the extension.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris and Berlin will help each other overcome the energy crisis this winter.
“Germany needs our gas, we need the electricity produced in the rest of Europe and in Germany in particular,” Macron said after a video conference with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz on Monday.
Macron said France would complete the necessary gas deliveries in the coming weeks to supply Germany with gas when needed.
In the same context, he said that Germany has committed to providing electricity as needed.
“This Franco-German solidarity is the commitment we made with Chancellor Schulz,” Macron said.
More than half of France’s 56 nuclear power plants are currently out of service due to repairs and maintenance. As a result, France’s energy supply is threatened by nuclear accounts for such a large part of the energy mix.
HF