Germany to Keep Nuclear Plants Running Into 2023, Green Party Unhappy With Decision

A cooling tower at the Isar 1 and 2 nuclear power plant is pictured at dusk near Landshut, Germany, in a file photo. (Miguel Villagran/Getty Images )

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered the country’s three remaining nuclear plants to remain open beyond Dec. 31, a decision criticized by some of his coalition party members.

The Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2, and Emsland nuclear power plants will remain in operation until April 15, 2023. Scholz has asked the Environment, Finance, and Economy ministries to create the legal basis necessary for the plants to continue operating. The ministries were also asked to propose laws to increase energy efficiency.

EnBW, operator of the Neckarwestheim 2 plant, has asked for the government to soon provide a legal framework to extend operations, without which the plant will be shut down in December as planned.

E.ON, operator of the Isar 2 plant, announced in September that the facility will be ready to continue operations after some maintenance. RWE has announced that it will soon start preparations to extend operations of the Emsland power plant.

There has been a political tussle over the operation of the plants. The Green Party (also known as the Greens), which is in coalition with Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), voted against extending nuclear power.

In an Oct. 17 tweet, Katharina Droge, head of the Greens parliamentary group, said the party will discuss how to deal with the chancellor’s decision.

“It is unfortunate that Scholz & the SPD are apparently willing to put the Emsland nuclear power plant into reserve operation, although there is no objective reason for this,” Droge said, according to an English translation of the post.

Greens co-leader Ricarda Lang also criticized Scholz’s decision, insisting that the Emsland plant is not necessary to maintain the stability of the grid.

However, Finance Minister Christian Lindner from the business-friendly Free Democratic Party has welcomed the move.

“It is in the vital interest of our country and its economy that we maintain all power generation capacity this winter,” Lindner stated, according to Bloomberg. “The chancellor has now provided clarity.”

Shifting From Nuclear Power, Energy Crisis

The decision to continue operating the three nuclear plants is an indication of Germany’s apprehension about its energy situation. The nuclear phaseout initiative in Germany began in 2000 under the SPD–Green coalition, which closed several plants.

Germany had originally planned a full shutdown of nuclear power by the end of 2022. However, Russia’s war with Ukraine changed the situation. Moscow’s gas cuts have triggered worries about energy security.

Though gas-storage facilities in the country are filled at over 95 percent capacity, the Germany’s grid operator has warned there might still be a shortfall in winter. Germany’s four transmission operators have also asked to keep the nuclear power plants running to ease the power crisis.

Germany is Europe’s biggest gas market and is heavily reliant on Russia for energy supplies. Klaus Mueller, the head of national network regulator Federal Network Agency, has called for reduced gas usage.

“We will struggle to avoid a gas emergency in winter without at least 20 percent savings in the private, commercial, and industrial sectors,” Mueller said. “The situation can become very serious if we do not significantly reduce our gas consumption.”