One of the most incendiary topics in Germany—ubiquitous in the media and of primary importance to all political parties—is the debate over prolonging the country’s promised nuclear phaseout.

Months ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-led government started talk of rolling back plans to shut down Germany’s nuclear power industry, sparking deep debate. According to Merkel, Germany needs nuclear power a little longer to meet climate change obligations and to ensure uninterrupted energy supplies.

On Sunday, Merkel put specific dates on the table for the first time, stating on ARD public television that nuclear power plants would be kept 10 to 15 years longer than currently planned, and would not be shut down until possibly 2032 or 2037.

The issue is like a redux of a debate a decade earlier when a coalition government legislated the nuclear power phaseout amid concerns for public and environmental safety. The Social Democrat-Green partnership formed after the 1998 election, reached a hard-fought compromise in 2001—Germany’s nuclear power plants would be shut down, but not immediately, their life spans would be capped at 32 years. A corollary law was passed the following year providing a framework for developing and phasing in renewable energies to prevent creating a gap in the country’s power supply.

The website of the minister for the Environment, Natural Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Dr. Norbert Röttgen states, “It is our goal to make the transition to renewable forms of energy for all of our energy needs.”

The majority of the German population seems to be on Röttgen’s side. There is still no permanent solution for the storage of the nuclear fuel rods, no protection against nuclear terrorism, no guarantee against earthquakes, and so on. In addition, there is the constant barrage of imponderable technical problems associated with nuclear power plants.

According to an Aug. 27 opinion poll, 56 percent of Germans are not in favor of extending the life of the country’s nuclear power plants beyond 2021, reported Spiegel Online.

Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats, part of the coalition that passed the phaseout legislation, told public radio Deutschlandfunk on Monday that Merkel’s intentions are illegal.

“A general lifespan extension is, according to my solid understanding, a violation of our law on nuclear power,” said Gabriel according to Spiegel.

Profiteering?

Merkel’s decision is also being criticized because of the substantial financial gains the government and the industry stand to make.

The nuclear power plants, now sheltered from taxation, will see substantial gain if their plants’ operational life is extended. Now that the plants are paid off,

“If reactor lifetimes were extended from average 32 years to 60 years, the four operating companies could reap additional gross profit of 100 billion euros [US$127.6 billion] or more, and the government is keen to secure more than half of this—much more than its extra tax revenue,” writes the World Nuclear Association that represents the nuclear profession.

According to Röttgen, the government has decided to place a tax on fuel rods. The money could be used to develop new forms of energy, but also to alleviate the national debt. Röttgen says he would like to use it to advance the restoration of a permanent nuclear waste storage facility.

The new phasing-out plan may also become reality without ever receiving approval from Germany’s Upper House, the Bundesrat. The governing CDU-Free Democratic Party coalition lost its majority in Parliament in local elections last May, so Merkel said she can pass the new rules without requiring its approval. Old nuclear coalition partners, SPD and Greens, have threatened to take the chancellor to constitutional court if she tries to.

In the meantime, the nuclear industry seeing its chance, is using all its influence to convince the government to extend the operations of the reactors. Last weekend, they took out full-page ads in German newspapers that were signed by nuclear industry leaders. The ads were widely discussed in the media because they were perceived as a clear attempt to put pressure on the German chancellor.

Chancellor Angela Merkel responded through a spokesperson, calling the ads just another contribution to the discussion on nuclear energy.

The government has announced that a decision on an extension of nuclear reactor operations, taxation of the earnings and the final use of those taxes will be made by the end of September.

Germany’s Nuclear Phaseout Debate Redux

German Defense Minister Under Fire for String of Military Scandals

German Economy Recovering Faster Than Expected

Journey to Tibet—a Photo Exhibit

China’s First Appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair