Model of a nuclear power plant in Lingen, Germany. Looks like there won't be more of these getting built as Germany has now decided to phase out nuclear energy completely by 2022.
As we all know, Germany has decided to phase out nuclear power. Now, it has set a specific time frame for that. Germany will shut all of its nuclear reactors down by 2022. The agreement was made early this morning by the various parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government.
“As expected, the coalition wants to keep the eight oldest of Germany’s 17 nuclear reactors permanently shut. Seven were closed temporarily in March, just after the earthquake and tsunami hit Fukushima. One has been off the grid for years,” Guardian News reports.
“Another six will be taken offline by 2021, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said early on Monday after late-night talks in the chancellor’s office between leaders of the centre-right coalition.”
The country has three more reactors that will stay online for a year longer just to ensure no power disruptions.
Merkel had decided (unpopularly) to extend the life of several of Germany’s older nuclear reactors not long ago, but changed course 180 degrees after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in March (which is actually ongoing).
“It’s definite: the latest end for the last three nuclear power plants is 2022,” Roettgen said after the meeting. “There will be no clause for revision.”
While this decision still needs to go through parliament, there is broad support for it by the other leading parties, the Social Democrats and the Greens.
As clean energy leaders with a ton of solar and wind power installed and a ton more to come, Germany is in a good position to cut nuclear while still cutting fossil fuel-based electricity as well.
Nuclear power protesters in Germany on Saturday, May 28. Some of the 160,000 thousand or so who came out this weekend in over 20 german cities.
160,000 Anti-Nuclear Protesters this Weekend in Germany
The decision above follows massive anti-nuclear demonstrations this weekend. 160,000 people were said to have come together this weekend in over 20 German cities to protest nuclear energy.
Related Stories:
- Renewable Energy in Germany Going to Get a Boost from Wind Energy Superhighway
- Google Invests $5M in German Solar Power Plant
- 1.8 GW of Midsize German Solar Installations Due to Feed-in Tariffs
- How Risky is it For Germany to Shutter its Nuclear?
- Northern Ireland, Scotland, Germany Announce Big Renewable Energy Targets
- Nuclear Power No More in Switzerland
- My Thoughts on Nuclear
Photos via flokru; sebastiansuk.de; sebastiansuk.de
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