**Key Sentences Extracted Based on Importance to Your Information Request:**

1.

"Germany closed three reactors in 2021 and plans to do the same with the other three in 2022."

"Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power."

"But this has sparked fury as Germany does not view nuclear power as a form of clean energy."

"It is risky and expensive."

"Germany has also claimed that there is a lack of safety requirements in the nuclear field."

"But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy."

"The Spanish government also rejected the European Commission’s proposal to include nuclear and natural gas energy in the EU’s 'green' taxonomy."

"It was a pyrrhic victory for the Greens but backed by all the major parties."

"The country is scrambling to reduce its reliance on gas with a campaign to make households cut back, and a massive national effort has brought gas storage levels up to 81 per cent full."

"Well, it relies on Russia for 55 per cent of its gas imports, and that’s more than many other countries in Europe."

"Russia turned off supplies of gas in response to the backlash over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine."

"So it has been able to diversify."

"Those who fear being unable to afford to heat their homes or feed their families are prey to angst and anger."

"Germany's upper house of parliament approved measures aimed at helping people hit hard by high energy prices and the high cost of living."

"How decades of complacency have left Germany facing a cold, dark winter"

**These sentences address:**
- The timeline and extent of Germany’s nuclear plant closures.

- The rationale: safety, expense, and Germany's stance on nuclear energy not being 'clean'.

- The political and public response ('pyrrhic victory' for Greens, backed by major parties, fury and anxiety about energy).

- The knock-on effects: dependence on Russian gas, intensified by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

- Energy coping strategies: campaigns to cut use, build reserves, diversify sources, and welfare measures for those affected.

- The wider tension: including European divides on nuclear, and the impact on German energy security.

**Key Sentences Extracted (selected for their relevance to Germany’s nuclear phase-out, its impacts, energy security, consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and public/political response):**

1.

"Germany planned to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022."

"The decision to finally abandon the peaceful atom was given to the German authorities not easy."

"They were going to stop the work of the remaining stations by the end of this year - this decision was made under Angela Merkel, after the Japanese Fukushima accident in a powerful earthquake in 2011."

"The nuance is that in the near future, Germany will have to rely on coal and gas, which have a negative impact on the environment."

"In Germany, officials are adamant that the return of coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country’s ambition to phase out its use by 2030."

"But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled."

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing hard with the European Union, cutting off gas supplies to some of his best buyers in a fit of rage over sanctions imposed after the start of the special operation in Ukraine..."
8.

"Such a development could even lead to a recession on the continent."

"The European Central Bank has warned that next year the eurozone economy will shrink by 1.7% if Russia completely closes the faucet."

"A week ago, in political Berlin, there were calls to postpone the closure of the reactors for at least a few months, so as not to jeopardize the security of energy supply in the country."

"The prime minister of Bavaria...Markus Seder has already said that he will ask the federal government to reconsider its decision."

"And he promised that in the case of a positive decision from Berlin, Bavaria is ready to take responsibility for the operation of the nuclear power plant."

"However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case."

"Against the background of the energy crisis in Europe, Germany’s decision will only aggravate the situation."

"Many will not support it,” the expert said."

"Scholz approved the extension of the life of nuclear power plants in Germany."

"He was supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said...“nuclear energy will not help us now or in the next two years, and that is the main thing.”"
18.

"Now the country has only to get rid of nuclear waste."

"The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say 'adventure') irreversible..."

**(These sentences spotlight the rationale, grid and energy security concerns, political/sectoral pushback, consequences of Russian pressure, and handling of nuclear power/post-nuclear waste.

**Key Sentences Extracted (with focus on reasons for Germany’s nuclear shutdown, grid impacts, external pressures including the Ukraine war, and social responses):**

1.

Germany’s closure of the country’s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union’s largest economy.

Germany’s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.

Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe’s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.

The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.

This was supposed to happen at the end of last year, but because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.

Last year, the German government decided to allow the reactors to continue operating during the winter.

Germany has cut the last three remaining nuclear power plants off the grid, ending the country’s nuclear energy production after more than 60 years.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg calls Germany's use of coal instead of nuclear power a "bad idea"
9.

Asked if nuclear power is the best for the climate, Greta Thunberg, 2019 Time magazine’s Person of the Year, replied: “It depends, if the nuclear already works for them I think it would be a mistake to shut it down and switch to coal."

In addition to economic and climate damage, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ratcheting up pressure on the European Union by cutting off gas shipments to some of Russia’s best customers, with anger at sanctions imposed on his country after the invasion of Ukraine.

40% of the gas flows along the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Germany under the sea, affecting deliveries to France, Italy and Austria, as well as Germany.

German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a television interview last week: "It must be acknowledged that Putin is gradually reducing gas supplies to Europe, and also raising prices, and we must respond to that with actions."

In Germany, officials insist that a return to coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country’s path to zero coal power by 2030.

The rush to burn coal to secure energy supplies is embarrassing for climate-conscious Europeans.

**(These sentences best capture: the rationale behind the nuclear phase-out; the complications brought by the Russian-Ukrainian war; the transition’s stress on the system; social/activist doubts about the decision; the government’s energy security concerns; and the temporary increase in coal usage, set against Germany’s long-term decarbonization plans.

**Key sentences extracted based on your questions (about Germany’s nuclear phase-out, grid coping, Russian war impact, and social/political dynamics):**

- Since it has been impossible to find a foolproof way to store nuclear waste, opponents have begun to question whether nuclear energy is really a clean energy source.

- In the 1980s, a new political party, the Green Party, emerged in West Germany.

- In August 1986, the Social Democratic Party passed a bill to abandon nuclear power within 10 years, Germany terminated the development plan for new reactors, and power companies dared not plan to build a nuclear power plant.

- The impact of the accident on Germany is even greater than that of Japan.

- But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.

- First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.

- The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.

- At the European Union meeting in Versailles on March 10, the EU announced that it would end its energy dependence on Russia by 2027 (five years later).

- Russia cuts off natural gas supply to Germany to discuss extending nuclear power plant life.

- Germany ’ s transport minister has called for the creation of an expert committee to examine whether the country ’ s nuclear power plants should be extended.

- But Haberke said Germany remains committed to scrapping its nuclear program and that all nuclear plants will be off the grid by the end of this year.

- Renewable energy cannot generate electricity all the time, and when the installed capacity is large, the average capacity factor will be low.

**Key Sentences Extracted Based on Importance to Your Information Request:**

1.

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The upper house of Germany's parliament signed off on a number of major legislative packages on Friday aimed at helping address inflation and soaring energy costsImage: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa/picture alliance
PoliticsGermany

Germany approves welfare reform, extends nuclear power

2 hours ago

Germany's upper house of parliament approved measures aimed at helping people hit hard by high energy prices and the high cost of living. The country's nuclear power extension will also take effect immediately.

https://p.dw.com/p/4K5HV

The upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, approved extending the use of three nuclear power plants, overhauling unemployment benefits and other major legislation on Friday after heated debate among lawmakers.

After receiving approval from the Bundesrat, the measures will soon enter into law. DW breaks down what's set to change in 2023.

Nuclear power extension

The Bundesrat signed off on the extension of three nuclear power plants after the lower house, the Bundestag, approved the move earlier this month.

The nuclear plants — Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2 and Emsland — will remain operational until April 2023 to provide enough power through the winter. The facilities had been slated to close at the end of this year under Germany's nuclear phaseout plans.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided to extend the life of the nuclear plants after Germany found itself facing a severe energy shortage. Russia turned off supplies of gas in response to the backlash over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The extension was bitterly debated among Scholz's center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the environmentalist Greens and the pro-free market Free Democrats (FDP).

With Friday's approval from the upper house, the nuclear power plant extension will take effect immediately.

Germany set to keep nuclear plants running

Unemployment reform

Germany is set for a major welfare overhaul after the Bundesrat signed off on a compromise to reform unemployment benefits.

The changes will go into effect as of January 1, 2023, replacing the current and frequently criticized "Harz IV" unemployment benefits system that has been in place since 2005.

Under the new "Bürgergeld" system (which means "citizen's money"), those who are unemployed will get higher benefits and better vocational skills training.

The initial proposal by Scholz's government was rejected by conservative lawmakers in the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) bloc. Under the compromise, benefits could be cut during a six-month "trust period" if an unemployed person is deemed to not be looking hard enough for work.

According to the plans, those receiving benefits will also get more support in job training programs to prepare for permanent employment. The change also is an attempt to mitigate the shortage of skilled workers Germany is currently experiencing.

"This reform is a milestone of social policy in Germany," Scholz told the magazine Focus on Friday after the votes. "This reform put assistance for untrained people who belong to the long-term jobless front and center."

The measure must still be signed by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, although nearly all measures approved by the Bundesrat are signed-off by the president.

More money for Germany's unemployed?

Tax relief, higher child benefits

With inflation hitting consumers hard, lawmakers approved measures aimed at softening the blow.

The upper house approved legislation that would help people who receive pay raises that adjust for inflation. The new measures would prevent people having to pay more taxes due to pay raises.

Starting in January 2023, child benefit payments will also be raised. Families will now receive €250 ($260) per month for each child in the household.

The change is a big jump from the current system, which saw parents receive €219 per month for their first and second child, €225 per month for a third child, and €250 for each additional child.

More support for renters

The upper house of parliament also greenlit a law that seeks to help renters deal with skyrocketing heating costs.

Starting from January 1, renters will no longer have to shoulder the costs of heating with oil and natural gas — landlords and property owners will have to chip-in as well.

For buildings that are not energy efficient and produce a high proportion of CO2 emissions, landlords will need to pay more — and not the renters.

In addition, more people in low-income households will receive a housing allowance from the government. The expansion to the law means 1.4 million households are eligible for the payments, as opposed to the current 600,000 households that qualify.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.

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"Germany closed three reactors in 2021 and plans to do the same with the other three in 2022."

Title:

Content: World

Berlin against, Rome is silent, Paris in favor. Nuclear power explodes in the EU

Germany closed three reactors in 2021 and plans to do the same with the other three in 2022. Belgium shares the same idea, “shut down” its seven plants by 2025. Spain, which has some reactors in operation as well, does not consider them “green” at all. Luxembourg dismisses the proposal to include the atom in the green taxonomy as a “provocation”. Austria of the atom does not want to know, with 82% of its primary energy production made from renewables (data 2019), and is studying a legal action against the Commission. France is delighted to see nuclear power (77% of its domestic production) taken into account by Brussels. Italy, which is fond of Minister Cingolani’s idea of increasing its gas extractions, is currently silent and at least hopes for a golden rule to exclude “green” investments from the calculation of the deficit. A few days after the publication of the draft of the European Commission on the green taxonomy, the distances between the 27 instead of narrowing, are widening and if yesterday they seemed divided, today they show themselves to be shattered.

The definition of the green taxonomy is fundamental in orienting investments: with the “green” stamp, industrial and infrastructure projects can be much more attractive for private capital. However, the decision to include nuclear and gas in the EU’s green taxonomy has met with harsh criticism already in recent weeks, when rumors had not yet taken the form of a draft Commission. The technicians from Brussels and the team of experts who collaborated in the drafting of the central document for the definition of the EU energy planning in the context of the Green New Deal tried to circumvent the foreseeable resistance by introducing some conditions for the two sources that are not neutral with respect to the climate and the environment. Nuclear and gas, first of all, will be considered compatible with the green taxonomy only for a defined period of time and “to the extent that they contribute to the transition towards climate neutrality and do not significantly damage the environment”, according to an official of Brussels. “The Commission sees the future energy mix as a predominantly renewable or low-carbon energy system. We really hope that this proposal will help bring about the change we need and channel private funding towards low-emission energy sources ”.

In fact, it means that investments in nuclear power will be “green” only if the projects presented have a well defined plan, funds and site for the disposal of radioactive waste in total safety. Building permits will only be allowed until 2045. It is worth remembering that at the moment there is still talk of third generation or third plus nuclear power. Not the fourth, the (slag-free) fusion that experts believe may have a role on an industrial scale no earlier than the middle of the century. As for gas, investments in power plants will be green only if they contribute to emissions of less than 270 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh and replace more polluting fossil fuel plants. They will need to obtain a building permit before 2030.

On gas, the Commission’s conditions appear much more stringent. It is a non-solid fossil source, certainly less polluting than coal and to which Italy looks with interest, having unused methane deposits. Moreover, in a European context of high prices and constant reduction of supplies from the main supplier, Russia, for reasons of a geopolitical nature. But it is on nuclear power that the clash risks worsening at the community level.

“We believe nuclear technology is dangerous,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin, noting that the question of what to do with the radioactive waste remains unresolved. Hebestreit added that Germany “expressly rejects” the EU assessment on atomic energy and has repeatedly affirmed this position towards the Commission. Germany is now considering the next steps to take. Germany is set to shut down the remaining three nuclear power plants later this year and phase out coal by 2030, while its neighbor France aims to modernize existing reactors and build new ones to meet energy needs. Berlin plans to rely on natural gas until it can be replaced by non-polluting energy sources. The opposite paths taken by two of the EU’s largest economies have led to an embarrassing situation for the Commission. The draft EU executive branch concludes that both nuclear power and natural gas can be considered sustainable under certain conditions for investment purposes.

Hebestreit said the German government’s goal is to use natural gas only as a “bridge technology” and replace it with non-polluting alternatives such as hydrogen produced from renewable energy by 2045, the deadline the country has set for becoming climate neutral. . The spokesman did not say whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz supports the opinion of the Minister of Economy and Climate Robert Habeck that the European Commission’s proposals are a form of “greenwashing”.

Germany has pulled the plug on three of its last six nuclear power plants. The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C reactors, operated by the E.On and Rwe utilities, were closed on December 31st after 35 years of operation. The last three nuclear power plants – Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II – will be shut down by the end of 2022. However, closure does not mean decommissioning, which will take much longer and is expected to take place by 2040 in the case of Brokdorf, for example. .

In 2021, the six nuclear power plants contributed about 12% of electricity generation in Germany. The German energy mix consists of 41% renewables, 28% coal and 15% gas. By 2030, Germany aims to meet 80% of energy demand with renewables. This is not the case in France where – given Eurostat 2019 – 77.6% of its energy produced comes from the atom and only 20% from renewable.

Germany is not alone in the firm opposition to the proposal put forward by Brussels: the draft “is a provocation from a procedural point of view” and “in terms of content it hides the risk of greenwashing”, wrote on Twitter the Minister of Energy of the Luxembourg, Claude Turmes, saying he is ready to “examine the proposal in detail and discuss further steps” together with Germany and Austria, equally opposed to including nuclear power among sustainable investments. The proposal was sent to governments on Friday, “in a nocturnal and nebulous action. This says a lot about transparency ”, attacked Turmes.

The same tones used by Vienna: if these are the plans “we will sue”, wrote on Twitter the Austrian Federal Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Leonore Gewessler, highlighting that nuclear energy is “dangerous and not it represents a solution in the fight against the climate crisis ”. Austria has no reactors and produces almost all of its energy from renewable sources.

The Spanish government also rejected the European Commission’s proposal to include nuclear and natural gas energy in the EU’s “green” taxonomy. According to Madrid, this is “a step backwards” and “a wrong signal” for the financial markets. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, stressed that “regardless of whether we can continue to invest in one or the other, we believe they are not green or sustainable energies”. Spain – he added – “is a firm supporter of green taxonomy as a key tool to have common references that can be used by investors to achieve the decarbonisation of the economy and climate neutrality by 2050”, but include nuclear and gas “It would be a step backwards,” according to the government official Sanchez. “It makes no sense and sends the wrong signals for the European energy transition as a whole,” he stressed. While admitting that both nuclear power and natural gas have a role to play in the transition, this is “limited in time”. Member States have until 12 January to provide their response to the Commission. Then, once published, it will have to pass the scrutiny of the EU Council and Parliament, where the environmentalist parties are also announcing a battle.

In 2019, France was the country that produced the largest share of energy in the EU (20% of the total), followed by Germany (17%), Poland (9.6%), Italy and Sweden (6%). ). However, the debate on green taxonomy is intertwined with energy security (or sovereignty) in a particular historical phase, marked by risks to the security of supply due to geopolitical and military reasons, as shown by the tensions on the Ukrainian border. Primary energy production in the EU in 2019 was distributed among various energy sources, the most important of which in terms of the size of its contribution were renewables, with over a third (36.5%) of the total. Second place for nuclear power, with 32.0% of total primary energy production, with France in the lead, followed by Belgium (77% of domestic production in 2019) which, however, is about to abound in nuclear power like Germany. However, all European energy production is not enough to meet its needs: more than half of Europe’s energy is imported. The EU energy dependency rate exceeds 50%.

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Content: This is an audio transcript of the FT News Briefing podcast episode: Russia’s move on Ukraine triggers western sanctions

Marc Filippino
Good morning from the Financial Times. Today is Wednesday, February 23rd, and this is your FT News Briefing.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Russia is edging closer to war. President Vladimir Putin is endorsing Russian-backed separatists who claim the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, western powers are pushing back both with sanctions and by suspending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. But can Germany kick its Russian gas habit?

Guy Chazan
Its industry has really become addicted to relatively cheap Russian gas so it’s in a bit of a bind, really.

Marc Filippino
Plus, how are Russian markets holding up through all this? Unsurprisingly, not so great. We’ll tell you more. I’m Marc Filippino, and here’s the news you need to start your day.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Very late on Monday night, Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to send what he called peacekeeping troops into eastern Ukraine. They’ll support two Russian-backed separatist states that he’s recognised as independent. This crossed a line for western powers, and they retaliated with a salvo of sanctions against Moscow on Tuesday. The US is targeting two of Russia’s largest financial institutions, as well as Russian elites and their family members. The FT’s Henry Foy has more on Europe’s sanctions towards Russia.

Henry Foy
So the European Union has decided to sanction a lot of individuals and entities. They’ve gone after 351 members of the Russian parliament. These are elected MPs, elected representatives who voted for the independence of these statelets, these separatists to be recognised for troops to be sent in, and also 27 individuals and entities who are linked to actions that have undermined Ukraine’s sovereignty. The key thing here, though, is the EU, just like the US and the UK who also announced their own sanction packages, are saying this is not it. This is just the first wave. And if you continue aggression against Ukraine and if there is a full invasion of the rest of Ukraine not held by these pro-Russian separatists, then there will be more — much, much more. This first wave is targeted. It’s not particularly economically damaging, but it’s a sign that there is unity across the west in standing up to this.

Marc Filippino
Henry, is all this enough to push Russia from further escalation?

Henry Foy
Well Marc, officials I speak to here in Brussels, in the EU, inside of Nato, tell me basically, no. That effectively, Putin has made a decision that he is going to go the whole way and invade Ukraine. That’s a decision that he’s built up over years. It’s an emotional decision. It’s an irrational one. And there’s really little that the west can do about it, given that Putin has thrown away and torn up all the diplomatic efforts. And he will take these sanctions and the sanctions will slow him down. They will affect the Russian economy. They will make an invasion more painful than perhaps it would have been before. However, they’re not going to stop him if that is what he intends to do, and most people, the Nato intelligence community, the defence community, believes that that is his decision.

Marc Filippino
Now, how is Nato’s approaching all this? You know, a crucial issue for Russia is that it wants to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet countries out of Nato. What’s its role right now?

Henry Foy
So Nato’s role, they’ve been very clear about this, is to protect itself, to protect alliance members, to protect Nato members in Europe. So what they’ve done in recent months and weeks is to deploy more troops in eastern European countries that border Ukraine and Russia effectively as deterrents to Russia to say, look, if you are going to invade Ukraine, you’re not going to come anywhere near us because we are going to defend our own, our own members, but also to help with any cross-border fallout from an invasion of Ukraine, which is likely to be in the form of refugees, potentially spillover events such as terrorism.

Marc Filippino
Henry Foy is the FT’s European diplomatic correspondent.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The news of Russia sending troops to Ukraine sent the price of oil up to nearly 100 bucks a barrel yesterday, and there was other energy news too. Germany has frozen the approval process on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Berlin would not approve the Kremlin-backed project. The pipeline is owned by the Russian-backed company Gazprom and would have increased a Russian gas supplies to Germany and the rest of Europe. The pipeline project has been in the works for years, and there has been a lot of pressure on Germany to stop it. But now that it’s been stopped, what’s next for Germany’s energy sector? Our Berlin bureau chief Guy Chazan joins me now to talk about this. Welcome to the show, Guy.

Guy Chazan
Hi.

Marc Filippino
So Guy, one of our Lex columnists wrote that Germany has been like a junkie in its addiction to Russian gas. How dependent is Germany on Russian energy?

Guy Chazan
Well, it relies on Russia for 55 per cent of its gas imports, and that’s more than many other countries in Europe. It’s a sort of, it’s an indictment in a way of the country’s kind of energy policies over the past few years because in 2011 it took this rather controversial decision to phase out all its nuclear power stations by 2022, and it’s now also phasing out its coal-fired power stations by 2030. So it has all these very ambitious goals to change its energy mix, but that has made it relatively more reliant on gas. And when you’re more reliant on gas, you’re more reliant on Gazprom because that’s Europe’s major supplier.

Marc Filippino
Yeah, and Russia, in response to Germany’s move, said, OK, well, you know, this is going to have an impact on already high energy prices. How hard will higher prices hit Germany’s economy?

Guy Chazan
Well, we’ve already been getting a taste of it because over the past few months, energy experts have said that Gazprom seems to be deliberately withholding supplies to the spot market in Europe, and that has driven up prices. But it’s basically destroyed the reputation of Gazprom as a reliable supplier in Germany. The green minister of the economy yesterday said that explicitly, and that’s really a big change because in the past, whenever you sort of ask German officials, you know, what about this relationship with Russia? They always say, well, you know, even in the worst times during the cold war, Russia was a reliable supplier. Those flows of gas were never affected. But that seems to have changed in recent months, and the perception of Gazprom has accordingly changed as well in Germany.

Marc Filippino
So given that this perception of Gazprom has changed, what alternatives does Germany have when it comes to energy sources?

Guy Chazan
Well, none at the moment. That’s the problem. It basically is building a terminal for the import of LNG, liquefied natural gas. But that is very expensive, much more expensive than Gazprom’s gas. So it’s in a bit of a bind, really. But the big difference, I suppose, really from the Merkel era, the governments of Angela Merkel, is that we now have this government with the Greens, and they are determined for Germany to go carbon neutral in the next 25 years. And if that ambition is achieved, then there will be much, much more renewables, much more wind and solar, and much less reliance on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.

Marc Filippino
Less of a question on the economics of this whole thing and more about the safety of German people. I mean, it’s the middle of February. If people aren’t able to heat their homes, is there a potential issue with people being safe and warm in Germany?

Guy Chazan
Well, I don’t think so, because the consensus is that Gazprom and Russia would not do anything as suicidal as withhold gas supplies to Germany. I mean that literally would be destroying an energy relationship, which is mutually, very, very beneficial. It’s not just Germany that benefits from this. It’s Russia, too, which relies very, very heavily on the flow of foreign currency into its exchequer. I think actually, if it were to come to that, Germany is actually quite well placed at the moment because the winter is drawing to an end and it’s getting sort of LNG shipments via Rotterdam. So it has been able to diversify. And apparently ministers have been saying the energy security situation is OK at the moment.

Marc Filippino
Guy Chazan is the FT’s Berlin bureau chief. Thank you, Guy.

Guy Chazan
Thanks.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Marc Filippino
Moscow’s main stock benchmark has collapsed by a third since October. Markets have been responding to the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Investors are mostly worried about two things — one, a full-blown invasion by Russia into Ukraine, and two, how sanctions, which you know, we talked about earlier, will affect assets. Our capital markets correspondent Tommy Stubbington has been following this and says there’s one area in particular investors are watching.

Tommy Stubbington
Possibly the most extreme form of sanctions in terms of their impact on the Russian stock market would be an outright ban on trading Russian stocks or Russian bonds on the secondary market, which would make it effectively impossible for western investors to hold those assets. Now we’re not there yet, but I mean, obviously any outside risks that investors see will lead to investors effectively dumping the Russian assets that they hold, and they do hold those assets largely because they are included in the indices, the investment benchmarks, the billions and billions of dollars of investments follow.

Marc Filippino
Now how insulated is the market overall? And is it likely that the Kremlin would react?

Tommy Stubbington
Share price declines, on their own, are probably something that I imagine the Kremlin wouldn’t be too worried about. They’d be more worried about the sanctions hurting at the level of the whole economy. And on that basis, the Russian economy is fairly well insulated from sanctions by the high level of dollar reserves that their central bank holds, which, you know, should be able to protect the rouble from any kind of run from overseas investors. And so the answer is the, you know, the Russian economy is certainly more sanctions-proof than possibly it was in the past.

Marc Filippino
Tommy Stubbington is the FT’s capital markets correspondent.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

You can read more on all of these stories at FT.com. This has been your daily FT News Briefing. Make sure you check back tomorrow for the latest business news.

This transcript has been automatically generated. If by any chance there is an error please send the details for a correction to: typo@ft.com. We will do our best to make the amendment as soon as possible.

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Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2022. All rights reserved.
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"Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power."

Title:

Content: Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power.

"The nuclear phaseout makes our country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste," said Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke.

"It is now essential to ... advance the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste as well as permanent solutions for low- and medium-level radioactive waste," the environment ministry said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeded up the phaseout following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan.

Friday's shutdown affects power plants in Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Gundremmingen C in Bavaria.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg — will be closed by the end of 2022 "at the latest," the environment ministry said.

"Since 2011, Germany has been drawing a line under a highly problematic technology in an orderly, reliable process," Lemke said.

Nuclear accounts for about 10 percent of Germany's electricity production. The shutdown has sparked criticism as Germany will have to dramatically ramp up renewable energy and has also increased its reliance on highly polluting coal-fired power.

"Security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed," said Robert Habeck, federal climate and economy minister. He added that reliable and "sustainably generated electricity" is a "central requirement for aligning our economy and industry toward climate neutrality."

That stance puts Berlin at loggerheads with France, where nuclear is the largest element of its energy mix (and also helps supply Germany).

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in September that existing nuclear plants, which provide low-carbon electricity essential to the green transition, can be kept running "for two, five, 10 years," adding: "Why deprive ourselves of this production capacity?"

France is planning to scale down the share of nuclear in its electricity mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, but President Emmanuel Macron said in November that France "will restart the construction of nuclear reactors" while "continuing to develop renewable energies."

Macron also said France will invest €1 billion into research and development, notably into small modular reactors.

Belgium recently decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2025, but plans to invest €100 million in new generation nuclear reactors and research.

More from ... Louise Guillot

Title:

Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
Back

Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

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"But this has sparked fury as Germany does not view nuclear power as a form of clean energy."

Title:

Content: EU chaos! Macron and Scholz in furious bust-up over EU energy plans: ‘Risky and expensive'

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are locked in a furious bust-up over EU energy policy plans as disagreements have sparked division in the bloc.

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Macron wields 'tools to set EU agenda'

While France has been pushing for nuclear to be included in the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy, Germany is in the process of completely phasing out the energy source in the country. The EU’s taxonomy is intended to hand a green badge to companies and activities — or to withhold it — to “help shift investments where they are most needed". This is part of the bloc’s aim to direct funding towards energy sources with a low or zero carbon footprint.

But this has sparked fury as Germany does not view nuclear power as a form of clean energy.

Mr Macron wants gas and nuclear to be labelled as a “transitional” source under the taxonomy as he claims they are needed for the clean energy transition.

He says that this is because renewables are “intermittent, and thus not totally substitutable, even with our interconnections [in Europe], for non-intermittent sources of electricity production” like gas or nuclear power.

And these calls do not come as much of a surprise, given that 70 percent of French electricity is generated by nuclear power.

Mr Macron has pointed to the verdict from experts on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to back up his calls.

Macron and Scholz are in a furious energy bust-up (Image: Getty )

Emmanuel Macron is pushing for nuclear power to be included in the EU taxonomy (Image: Getty )

They claim that “nuclear power is one of the solutions to decarbonise our economies”.

And this seems to have convinced Brussels, as the EU Commission drew up a draft proposal, circulated on 31 December, for this to come into effect.

Subject to a consultation period until Friday (21 January), It gave EU members and others just three weeks to analyse the proposal and provide their own comments.

Germany is strongly opposed to the nuclear plans and has been phasing out nuclear power for over two decades.

It also plans to shut down its three remaining plants at the end of the year.

READ MORE: World holds breath as Ukraine to fire rocket amid Russia tension

Olaf Scholz's Government is opposed to the EU's proposal (Image: Getty )

But it is not Berlin who disapproves of the proposal.

The EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, a European Commission advisory body, has torn the proposal apart.

In an opinion piece, it argued that nuclear power is not an entirely clean energy source, and that fossil gas is “far from green”.

Under the EU’s draft proposal, gas-fired power plants would get a “transitional” investment label if they meet a certain criteria.

That is if they use “at least 30 percent of renewable or low-carbon gases as of 1 January 2026, and at least 55 percent of renewable or low-carbon gases as of 1 January 2030”.

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Germany argued nuclear is not a clean energy source (Image: Getty )

And as of January 1, 2036, the Commission said all gas-fired power plants would have to “switch to renewable or low-carbon gases” to qualify for the EU’s green investment label.

But under EU rules, no technology can be considered green if it causes “significant harm” to any of the taxonomy’s six environmental objectives.

Those are climate change mitigation and adaptation, water protection, the transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention, and biodiversity protection.

Germany has been kicking up a fuss over the proposals, calling them “risky and expensive” in a letter sent to Brussels.

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said in a joint statement with Environment Minister Steffi Lemke: “As the federal government, we have once again clearly expressed our rejection of the inclusion of nuclear energy. It is risky and expensive."

Germany has also claimed that there is a lack of safety requirements in the nuclear field.

Robert Habeck sent a letter to Brussels slamming the proposal (Image: Getty )

And it argued that the lengthy construction of new reactors "does not offer a short-term opportunity" to phase out carbon-intensive energy sources such as coal.

But while it has poured cold water over nuclear plans, Germany does not seem so opposed to the inclusion of gas.

In the letter sent to Brussels, it reads that gas used in "ultra-modern and efficient gas-fired power plants forms a bridge for a limited transitional period".

But the German Government did mention that the proposed fuel switch targets to low-carbon and renewable gases laid out by the taxonomy proposal are not realistic.

And Mr Macron is travelling to Berlin today to meet with Mr Scholz.

While the leaders’ meeting will focus on the Russia’s mounting pressure on Ukraine, the energy plans will no doubt be a topic of conversation too.

"It is risky and expensive."

"Germany has also claimed that there is a lack of safety requirements in the nuclear field."

Title:

Content: 'Sustainability challenges' What Big Oil, green movement conceal from us

The US funds its military aid to Ukraine with tax dollars and some of America’s allies fund Putin’s military with purchases of his oil and gas exports. And that’s the absurdity that has come to define the Russian invasion
Representative image

NEW YORK: It has long been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. By that definition, we’re the ones detached from reality if we keep accepting what the oil industry and the green movement keep telling us over and over again and expecting a different result. The greens keep saying that because the price of wind and solar is now as cheap as, or cheaper than, fossil fuels, they’ve won the energy war. Game, set, match — welcome to the green planet.

The oil companies say — as they have in each previous energy crisis since 1973 — that the only answer to this energy crisis is the one they’ve offered for the past 49 years: drill, baby, drill. Welcome to reality. Well, they’re both wrong, and accepting the repetition of either of these tired shibboleths is hurting us economically, environmentally and geopolitically — especially, of late, geopolitically.

Because our continued addiction to fossil fuels is bolstering Vladimir Putin’s petrodictatorship and creating a situation where we in the West are — yes, say it with me now — funding both sides of the war. We fund our military aid to Ukraine with our tax dollars and some of America’s allies fund Putin’s military with purchases of his oil and gas exports.

And if that’s not the definition of insanity, then I don’t know what is. Have no illusion — these sins of the green movement and the oil industry are not equal. The greens are trying to fix a real, planet-threatening problem, even if their ambition exceeds their grasp. The oil and coal companies know that what they are doing is incompatible with a stable, healthy environment. Yes, they are right that without them there would be no global economy today. But unless they use their immense engineering talents to become energy companies, not just fossil fuel companies, there will be no livable economy tomorrow.

Let’s look at both. For too long, too many in the green movement have treated the necessary and urgent shift we need to make from fossil fuels to renewable energy as though it were like flipping a switch — just get off oil, get off gasoline, get off coal and get off nuclear — and do it NOW, without having put in place the kind of transition mechanisms, clean energy sources and market incentives required to make such a massive shift in our energy system.

It’s Germany in 2011, suddenly deciding after the Fukushima accident to phase out its 17 relatively clean and reliable nuclear reactors, which provided some 25 percent of the country’s electricity. This, even though Germany had nowhere near enough solar, wind, geothermal or hydro to replace that nuclear power. So now it’s burning more coal and gas.

A 2019 working paper for the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research found that in Germany “the lost nuclear electricity production due to the phaseout was replaced primarily by coal-fired production and net electricity imports. The social cost of this shift from nuclear to coal is approximately $12 billion per year. Over 70 percent of this cost comes from the increased mortality risk associated with exposure to the local air pollution emitted when burning fossil fuels.”

Today, the European Union is drawing up a plan to break its addiction to Russian oil and gas by 2027, but, in the meantime, Putin is laughing all the way to the bank. As CNN reported in April, citing a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air: “Russian revenues from fossil fuel exports to the European Union soared during the first two months of the Ukraine invasion” — to $46.3 billion. That was more than double the value of Russian energy imported by the E.U. during the same two-month period a year earlier.

That was not because the E.U.’s volume of imports doubled. Higher oil and gas prices accounted for most of that increase. In other words, Putin starts a war that creates instability, which drives up oil prices, so he makes twice as much money exporting roughly the same amount of oil.

While Germany jumped off nuclear before it had a safety net of sufficient clean alternatives, at least it has been on a serious, path-defining quest to get them. Indeed, the whole world owes Germany a huge debt for driving down the price of solar panels and wind turbines through the subsidies and tax incentives it created. In Germany, wind turbines, solar panels and other renewables covered 54 percent of power consumption this past January and February — which is AMAZING. In 2021, renewable energy sources accounted for only about 12 percent of total U.S. energy that was consumed.

Still, the most important delusion of the green movement today — of which I am a proud, if grouchy, member — is telling itself that because the price of wind and solar technology has fallen so low now that it can beat coal and natural gas in most markets, often even without subsidies, it’s “game over” for fossil fuels. I wish. Price is only half the story.

If you can’t install the transmission lines — to get that sun and wind power from the vast open spaces where it is generated to the big urban areas where it is needed — and if you cannot set aside more land to install the scale of solar and wind farms you need to replace coal, gas or nuclear, it doesn’t matter that your renewables are cheaper on a per-kilowatt-hour basis.

And today transmission is a huge problem in the U.S. and Europe, where many people don’t want wind farms, solar fields, electricity lines — or natural gas pipelines — in their backyard. I wish this were not the case, but there is no immaculate pathway from brown energy to green energy. The road is paved with cruel trade-offs. Pick your poison — but grow up. Meanwhile, ever since the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the big oil companies have basically said in each successive crisis: Sure, we need more clean energy, but you have to understand — it doesn’t scale. Right now, we’re in an emergency, so we just need to drill more. You hear the same refrain today, which is why we’re in danger of wasting yet another oil crisis and never breaking our fossil fuel addiction.

For those oil companies sitting on large natural gas deposits — which are needed in this transition because gas is cleaner than coal — it means tapping those deposits but doing so with zero methane leakage; otherwise gas becomes as bad as coal. But it also means thinking much more seriously about how fossil fuel companies truly make the transition to become “energy companies,” not just oil companies, so they can leverage their amazing pools of engineering talent to provide more energy solutions that save the planet, not warm it.

Friedman is an Opinion Columnist with NYT©2022

The New York Times

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"But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy."

Title:

Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
Back

Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

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"The Spanish government also rejected the European Commission’s proposal to include nuclear and natural gas energy in the EU’s 'green' taxonomy."

"It was a pyrrhic victory for the Greens but backed by all the major parties."

Title:

Content: How decades of complacency have left Germany facing a cold, dark winter

Betrayed by its own elite, the country is at risk of social unrest

Germany is facing its worst winter for 75 years. The impending catastrophe risks crippling its economy, sweeping away its government and bringing chaos to the heart of Europe.

In 1946-47, perhaps half a million Germans starved or froze to death in their ruined cities. Older Germans still shudder at the memory of the “Hunger Winter”. Some blamed the Nazis, others the Allied occupation. In fact, the British sent food, fuel and clothing they could ill afford to spare themselves.

Now Europe’s largest economy is heading for a winter of recession, rationing and possible blackouts. This time, though, there is nobody to blame except Germany’s complacent – and in some cases corrupt – political establishment.

As Vladimir Putin chokes off Russian gas supplies – already down to a fifth of their pre-war level – by closing the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for “maintenance” yet again next week, the lamps are going out for Olaf Scholz and his “traffic light” coalition of Social Democrats, Liberal and Greens.

'Autumn of rage'

The Bundesbank has been predicting a recession and the latest figures show that business activity is already contracting. Inflation, which hit 8.5 per cent last month, is expected to keep rising along with the rest of the eurozone, probably into double figures.

Yet for historical reasons Germans won’t just accept high inflation as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. The world remembers the hyperinflation that undermined the Weimar Republic a century ago; only older Germans recall the hyperinflation after the Second World War, which lasted longer. For three years Germany’s only stable currency was American cigarettes. No wonder Germans have been allergic to inflation ever since.

It is true that Germans are not yet demanding big pay rises or going on strike. But energy prices are already rising exponentially. The country's one-year ahead power price has skyrocketed to almost €1,000 per megawatt-hour, a jump of more than 720pc since the start of 2022. If Putin turns off the tap, bringing the mighty German economy to a juddering halt this winter, there is a real danger of civil unrest.

Intelligence officials are warning that extremist organisations, such as the neo-Nazis of Combat 18, are planning an “autumn of rage”. As a foretaste, in the old Prussian town of Neuruppin near Berlin, there were ugly scenes this month as Scholz was shouted down by far-Left and far-Right protesters.

But the panic and indignation now brewing go far beyond the ranks of the “unteachable” extremists.

Germans sense that unaccountable elites have ceded control of their country’s destiny to Putin. The more they are must pay him for Russian gas, the bigger his war chest with which to perpetrate genocide in Ukraine.

Forcing Germany to be complicit in a colossal crime against humanity is a diabolical twist in the vengeance that Putin is now exacting upon Europe for backing Ukraine. According to The Economist’s Christian Odendahl, at present prices Germany will need to spend 8.4 per cent of its GDP on gas. Hitherto it was just 1 per cent.

Already preparations are underway for central heating to be rationed or even switched off, forcing residents to seek shelter in schools or town halls.

The country is scrambling to reduce its reliance on gas with a campaign to make households cut back, and a massive national effort has brought gas storage levels up to 81 per cent full.

Food prices, meanwhile, rose at a rate of nearly 15 per cent in July. Those who fear being unable to afford to heat their homes or feed their families are prey to angst and anger.

Actions have consequences... or do they?

Few foresaw the Russian invasion of Ukraine, let alone its devastating consequences for Europe. But it is dawning on the German people that the seeds of the present crisis were sown over the quarter of a century from 1998 to 2022, under Angela Merkel and her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder.

These were the years of plenty for Germany, when Berlin dominated the European Union, ensuring that its export-led economy benefited from the single currency while loading the social costs on to its poorer neighbours. But Germany’s dirty secret was cheap Russian energy.

Under Schröder – who went on to become one of Putin’s “useful idiots” – German industry began to abandon its postwar reliance on coal and nuclear energy in favour of Russian gas and renewables.

In 2011, after the Fukushima accident, Mrs Merkel announced that all German nuclear power plants would be closed down. It was a pyrrhic victory for the Greens but backed by all the major parties. Public opinion had been turned against nuclear energy in the 1980s by the Soviet-funded “peace movement”. Now the Greens are the keystone of the Scholz coalition.

Even in the country’s present predicament, Robert Habeck, the Green Vice-Chancellor and Environment Minister, is refusing to reverse the exit from nuclear to alleviate the energy crisis, though it is still possible over time to reactivate a number of nuclear power stations.

Yet Berlin is demanding that 26 other EU member states make huge cuts in energy use this winter to help Germany – to the irritation of the Spanish and others, who don’t depend on Russian gas and recall lectures from Berlin during the eurozone crisis about actions having consequences.

For decades, the Kremlin acted as Germany’s geopolitical drug-dealer, tempting Berlin to become ever more addicted to the energy that fuelled its manufacturing, pharmaceutical and chemical factories. Now that the Germans are about to go cold turkey, they are discovering how cynically the national interest was betrayed by their politicians and captains of industry.

With Schröder as its salesman, a new Nord Stream 2 pipeline was built under the Baltic Sea — with the blessing of Mrs Merkel, who fended off Anglo-American pressure to cancel what was regarded as a threat to European energy security.

Last year, as Russian tanks massed on the Ukrainian border and Nato warned of imminent invasion, Gazprom redoubled its efforts to keep the flagship project on track.

The Russian energy giant poured €192 million (£163m) into an environmental foundation set up by Manuela Schwesig, the Social Democratic premier of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — the state that hosted Nord Stream 2 and stood to gain most. She proceeded to denounce the US for opposing the pipeline, claiming that American sanctions were purely self-interested.

Putin’s stooges almost succeeded in persuading Scholz to defy his Nato allies. He dithered until the eve of February’s invasion before shelving Nord Stream 2.

Now, after six months of Europe’s worst war since 1945, some German politicians are once again calling for the pipeline to be opened “so that people do not have to freeze in winter and our industry does not suffer serious damage”, as Wolfgang Kubicki, Vice-President of the German Parliament, puts it.

Meanwhile Ms Schwesig has just been re-elected as leader of the Social Democrats in her state by a large majority. Schröder has yet to be expelled from the party, let alone sanctioned.

Germany’s Achilles’ heel

This is the measure of Germany’s abject reliance, not only on Russian energy, but on the Russian state. For Putin, gas and oil were only ever a means to an end. He has always wanted to reduce the Germans — towards whom Russians have traditionally had an inferiority complex — to a status of servility.

Stalin only succeeded in dividing Germany. Putin seeks to turn the entire Federal Republic into his client state — and thereby impose his will upon Europe.

With the unerring eye of the predator, Putin grasped that energy was Germany’s Achilles’ heel. A single plant of a single corporation, the headquarters of the chemical and pharmaceutical giant BASF at Ludwigshafen, uses as much energy as Denmark.

Over the last 25 years, Germany’s craving for cheap energy led it into an unequal relationship with Russia — what the philosopher Hegel called “the dialectic of master and slave”.

Putin saw that some German politicians could be bought (Schröder), others bamboozled (Merkel), and still others bullied (Scholz). Other EU countries followed the German example by relying heavily on Moscow for energy, influenced by the evasion and ambivalence that has characterised Berlin’s policy for decades.

Germany, whose economy is substantially larger than Britain’s, has given just £1 billion in military aid to Ukraine compared to the UK’s £3.5 billion. The United States has given ten times as much as the EU. Yet Ukraine is a European country under genocidal attack.

The reluctance to provoke Putin that still prevails in wide circles of the Federal Republic is rooted in exaggerated notions of Russian military power, economic importance and cultural pre-eminence.

German fatalism about Russia’s ability to absorb casualties and yet win ultimate victory reflects folk memories of the Eastern Front. But Putin, unlike Stalin, does not have a vast conscript army at his disposal, he does not enjoy technical superiority and he cannot afford the war of attrition that he has unleashed. Nor are the Russian people united against an invading force in defence of their homeland. Only in Berlin do they think this is another Stalingrad.

This historical myopia has much to do with the long-standing German habit of subsuming the other nations that made up the Soviet Union into Russia. To this day most Germans have no awareness of the fact that the Nazis killed millions of Ukrainian civilians and devastated their country.

Ironically, many artists, writers and musicians who have fled Ukraine have found refuge in Germany. One example is the composer Valentin Silvestrov, who fled to Berlin aged 84 with one suitcase, full of his manuscripts. Once there, he discovered that Ukrainian music was unknown in Germany. Now that Silvestrov’s works are being performed, including at the Proms in London, the Germans are slowly waking up to the presence of a greater living composer than any of their own.

Many ordinary Germans, like the British, instinctively warm to the Ukrainian cause. The difference is in leadership – or lack of it. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, unlike Boris Johnson or Liz Truss, has shown only lukewarm support for Kyiv and has been implicitly rebuked by President Zelensky.

Hamburger grilled

Although there is no suggestion that Scholz has been bribed to go easy on Russia, he himself has become embroiled in a corruption scandal. He is accused of helping M.M. Warburg & Co, Germany’s oldest and largest private bank, to avoid a €47 million fine in 2016, during his time as Finance Minister in the Merkel coalition.

The Hamburg-based bank is alleged to have made up to €300 million in a capital gains tax scam which came to light while Scholz was also mayor of the city state. Just as he finds himself facing an unexpectedly grim present and a positively terrifying future, his provincial past has returned to haunt him.

Last week the Chancellor was grilled by a committee of inquiry in Hamburg. The normally meticulous Scholz claimed not to remember any details about his meetings with Warburg’s former chief, Christian Olearius, who has now been charged with tax evasion. Germany’s safe pair of hands, whom millions had entrusted with the nation’s finances, is now accused of being cosy with tax-dodging bankers and being an unimpressive, even unreliable, witness.

In other ways, too, Scholz is failing to live up to the moral example set by the two great Social Democratic Chancellors of post-war Germany, Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt. At a joint press conference with Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin earlier this month, Scholz remained tight-lipped while the Palestinian leader delivered an anti-Semitic tirade, accusing Israel of committing “many Holocausts” against his people.

Schmidt, who concealed the fact he had a Jewish grandfather from the Nazis but as Chancellor was an outspoken philosemite, would not have been impressed by his fellow Hamburger Scholz. Nor would Brandt, who famously fell to his knees at the memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Not for decades has anti-Semitism been such a threat in Germany: in July, Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial was desecrated with swastikas. Now, as Putin’s myrmidons massacre and deport Ukrainians near the site of Nazi genocide, while a quarter of the Russian Jewish population has emigrated in anticipation of pogroms, Germany needs a leader who is not afraid to denounce anti-Semitism even at the cost of diplomatic niceties.

After less than a year in office, Scholz’s personal ratings are plumbing depths never seen during Mrs Merkel’s 16 years at the helm. As Germans brace themselves for unprecedented hardships in peacetime, they are led by a weak and indecisive Chancellor at the head of a fragile three-party coalition.

Post-heroic, post-patriotic

Wednesday’s visit to Kyiv by Boris Johnson – his third – to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day was hugely appreciated not only by Volodymyr Zelensky but by all Ukrainians. Yet it was a gesture of solidarity that did not occur – could not have occurred – to Olaf Scholz.

The German Chancellor’s only visit to the Ukrainian capital last June, accompanied by Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi, was an awkward, chilly affair that yielded little more than promises. This week, Scholz posted a short video message, concluding: “Our hearts are with you.” Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, commented: “Hearts, yes. But not weapons.”

Johnson, by contrast, knows he is among friends in Kyiv – a friendship symbolised by Zelensky awarding him Ukraine’s highest honour, the Order of Liberty. It is impossible to imagine the lugubrious German Chancellor finding the Prime Minister’s pithy words: “While people [in the West] are paying energy bills, people in Ukraine are paying with blood.” Nor would Scholz echo him in declaring: “I believe Ukraine can and will win this war.”

For his part, Zelensky told his people that they had been “reborn” in the heat of war. “We used to say: ‘Peace’. Now we say: ‘Victory’,” he declared.

Highly educated Germans find it hard to empathise with such Churchillian sentiments. Jürgen Habermas, the eminence grise of German intellectuals, makes condescending comments about Ukraine as a primitive place, still captive to the nationalist illusions of the last century, unlike more sophisticated, “post-heroic” Germany. It doesn’t occur to the 93-year-old philosopher that without the heroism of its soldiers and civilians, Ukraine would by now have ceased to exist.

Prussian military prowess has long since given way to post-patriotic pusillanimity. Where Merkel and Scholz feared to tread and even Biden was hesitant, Johnson was the first to commit himself wholeheartedly to the cause and to visit war-torn Kyiv.

Many other nations – the Poles, the Baltic states, the Scandinavians and the Canadians among them – have been more supportive than the Germans, who owe Ukrainians the greatest moral debt.

Berlin boasts of handing out a handful of howitzers while dithering over clapped-out armoured vehicles. Meanwhile British arms and training, Turkish drones and American rocket artillery systems have proved decisive on the battlefield.

Sold down the Dnieper

Although the Scholz coalition officially sides with Ukraine, the unpalatable fact remains that Germany and its EU partners are financing Russian aggression by paying vast sums for Russian gas.

Will they stand up to Putin in Germany when the enormity of the ordeal ahead becomes clear to everybody? Will public opinion continue to back even the present feeble commitment, or will the voices calling for peace at the expense of Ukrainians prevail? It is all too believable that at some point, probably early next year when gas storage facilities are empty, Berlin – and Brussels – will open negotiations with the Kremlin, regardless of Kyiv’s wishes.

Yet it is then that the ghosts of the past may rise up to intervene in the present. The thought of Germans and Russians redrawing the map of Eastern Europe at the conference table sends shivers down the spines of every Pole, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and, of course, Ukrainian. On August 23, 1940, exactly 82 years ago this week, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, carving up Poland (which then included Lviv and other parts of present-day Ukraine) and the Baltic states between Russia and Germany. No German Chancellor wishes to be reminded of that precedent.

However, nor can Scholz risk presiding over an even deeper and more lasting recession than that caused by the Covid pandemic. Somehow he must steer a course between the Scylla of appeasing Putin and the Charybdis of economic ruin.

The tension between these positions is reflected in the tripartite coalition. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the Greens are the hawks, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his pro-business Free Democrats are the doves, while the Social Democrats are deeply divided. The party leadership leans towards Moscow, the rank and file towards Kyiv. This explains why Scholz never says that he wants Ukraine to win the war, merely that they must not lose it.

The opposition Christian Democrats are only slightly more united. They too have a large wing that privately favours a negotiated peace, represented by their pro-business leader Friedrich Merz, and a smaller but not insignificant group led by the foreign affairs expert Norbert Röntgen, who hope for a Ukrainian victory. Merz has papered over the cracks by focusing on a campaign to reverse his predecessor Mrs Merkel’s exit from nuclear energy.

Meanwhile, the “understanding Putin” lobby has the support of both the hard Left Die Linke and anti-immigration AfD parties. German public opinion has slowly tiptoed away from its initial admiration for Ukrainian resistance and towards a compromise peace.

That subtle shift could soon become an overwhelming tide, once Germans are required to make real sacrifices. Vladimir Putin, we may be sure, is counting on it.

From October, Scholz will impose a gas levy on consumers to compensate energy companies for the cost of replacing Russian gas supplies. Germany’s biggest energy company, Uniper, was bailed out in July to the tune of £12.5 billion; it is now claiming another £18.5 billion of levies.

This policy is bound to be unpopular, since it redistributes tens of billions from the poor to the rich — curious thinking for a government of the Left. But this is nothing compared to the prospect of protests sparked by a national shutdown caused, not by a deadly virus, but by Putin’s energy politics.

A change in the air?

Modern Germany has a volatile history of popular protest. It began with the revolution that toppled the Kaiser in 1918. The Nazis mobilised the masses to carry out their “national revolution” in 1933. A workers’ uprising in East Germany was crushed by Soviet tanks in 1953. Student protests brought about a cultural revolution in 1968. Uniquely bloodless and benign was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This was Germany’s finest hour.

The defiance that breached the Wall and sent the Soviet army home was a blessing, but the despair that Putin’s revenge may induce this winter will surely be a curse. Gas has given the Russian dictator coercive control over the German political class, which willingly acquiesced in its fate.

In Kyiv, Boris Johnson said: “I can tell you that we in the UK will not for one second give in to Putin’s blackmail.” Olaf Scholz is incapable of speaking like this — because he does not believe it. He has failed to frame the coming ordeal as a battle in which Germans must make sacrifices for their own liberty, not just Ukraine’s. People don’t mind his lack of charisma; they do mind facing a nightmarish winter with spineless hypocrisy at the helm.

Will it become so obvious by next spring that Scholz is unequal to the task that either he or his coalition are replaced? Can the centre of German politics hold — or are we about to see a terrible revolt of the masses against a discredited political establishment? It has happened before. It can happen again.

Daniel Johnson was the Telegraph’s correspondent in Germany and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. He is now the editor of TheArticle.

"The country is scrambling to reduce its reliance on gas with a campaign to make households cut back, and a massive national effort has brought gas storage levels up to 81 per cent full."

"Well, it relies on Russia for 55 per cent of its gas imports, and that’s more than many other countries in Europe."

"Russia turned off supplies of gas in response to the backlash over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine."

"So it has been able to diversify."

Title:

Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
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Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

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"Those who fear being unable to afford to heat their homes or feed their families are prey to angst and anger."

"Germany's upper house of parliament approved measures aimed at helping people hit hard by high energy prices and the high cost of living."

"How decades of complacency have left Germany facing a cold, dark winter"

**These sentences address:**
- The timeline and extent of Germany’s nuclear plant closures.

- The rationale: safety, expense, and Germany's stance on nuclear energy not being 'clean'.

- The political and public response ('pyrrhic victory' for Greens, backed by major parties, fury and anxiety about energy).

- The knock-on effects: dependence on Russian gas, intensified by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

- Energy coping strategies: campaigns to cut use, build reserves, diversify sources, and welfare measures for those affected.

- The wider tension: including European divides on nuclear, and the impact on German energy security.

**Key Sentences Extracted (selected for their relevance to Germany’s nuclear phase-out, its impacts, energy security, consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and public/political response):**

1.

Title:

Content: Chernobyl and the war: how the events in Ukraine prompted Germany to abandon nuclear energy
Greenpeace activist at a protest against nuclear power in Berlin, Germany.
Photo by REUTERS / Nadja Wohlleben
The end of the atomic age.
This weekend, Germany, as promised, shut down its last nuclear power plants.
On Sunday night, the Germans decommissioned three stations: Izar 2 in Bavaria, Necarwesteim-2 in Baden-Württemberg and Emsland in Lower Saxony.
Nuclear power plants, which have recently produced about 5% of the country ’ s electricity, have been shut down as part of the so-called “energy transition. ”
Its goal is to completely switch to green energy by 2035, that is, to produce electricity from renewable sources.
Read also:
The decision to finally abandon the peaceful atom was given to the German authorities not easy.
A week ago, in political Berlin, there were calls to postpone the closure of the reactors for at least a few months, so as not to jeopardize the security of energy supply in the country.
Moreover, the temporary continuation of the work of the nuclear power plant of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was requested by both the opposition Christian Democrats and the liberals included in the ruling coalition.
Most Germans did not support the closure of the nuclear power plant.
According to sociologists, about 60% of the country ’ s residents called the government ’ s decision to abandon the peaceful atom wrong.
The reason is obvious: people are afraid of further increases in electricity prices, which have literally exploded.
Farewell to the atom: the Ukrainian factor
In fact, the decision to close all German nuclear power plants was made in 2011 by the government of Angela Merkel after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima.
But the discussion about the abandonment of nuclear power began much earlier — in 1986, after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The accident sparked widespread protests against the use of the peaceful atom, and after Chernobyl, the now ruling Social Democratic Party announced that it would support the closure of all German nuclear power plants and enshrined this position in its political program.
Events in Ukraine also affected the timing of the closure of the nuclear power plant.
Germany planned to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022.
However, after a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, the operation of the reactors was decided to extend for several more months.
Germany, which took the course of abandoning all Russian energy resources, was afraid of problems with energy supply.
Bavarian exception: will one of the richest lands in Germany be allowed to restart nuclear power plants
In the final rejection of the peaceful atom, it seems, not all German politicians believe.
At least regional.
The prime minister of Bavaria - one of the richest German states - Markus Seder has already said that he will ask the federal government to reconsider its decision.
And this is a few hours after the closing of the last nuclear power plant!
Seder wants the Bavarians to make an exception – allowed them to continue to operate the nuclear power plant “Izar-2 ”, located on the territory of the earth.
Like, now, in times of energy crisis, to abandon nuclear energy is not only risky, but also stupid.
That can be done a little later.
"Bavaria demands that the federal government take responsibility for the continued operation of nuclear power.
Until the crisis is over and the country has switched to renewable energy, we must use all forms of energy before the end of the decade.
Anyone who, like the ruling coalition, hopes that the next winter will be as mild as the previous one, acts extremely naive and careless for an industrial country like Germany, ” said Seder.
And he promised that in the case of a positive decision from Berlin, Bavaria is ready to take responsibility for the operation of the nuclear power plant.
The Bavarian prime minister thought about other lands.
It requires the government to develop and submit a plan for the reactivation of disconnected nuclear power plants.
If necessary, nuclear power plants will be able to resume their work quickly.
Official Berlin has already responded to the calls of the Bavarian Prime Minister – the Minister for Environmental Protection advised Zeder not to engage in political populism.
Non-peaceful atom: Germany wants sanctions against Russian nuclear energy
On the day of the closure of their own nuclear power plants, the Germans also mentioned the nuclear energy of the aggressor country of Russia.
Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy of Germany Robert Gabeck proposed to impose sanctions against the nuclear industry of the Russian Federation.
At the EU level.
For example, to include penalties in the next, already eleventh, sanctions package, the development and coordination of which the Europeans will begin in the near future.
“We have seen that Russia purposefully uses dependence in the energy sector for pressure.
Therefore, the federal government called on the European Commission to impose sanctions on the civilian nuclear sector.
Nuclear technology is an extremely sensitive area, and Russia can no longer be perceived as a reliable partner here, ” Gabek said.
What sanctions are we talking about – the politician did not specify.
However, in early April, after a visit to Ukraine, he proposed to impose sanctions against states that buy uranium from Russia for their nuclear power plants.
Not immediately, but after the transition.
“It is important to start and not be afraid of decisive actions in this area, ” Gabek explained.
The EU ’ s dependence on Russia ’ s nuclear sector is really serious.
About 20% of the uranium for their nuclear power plants EU countries receive from Russia.
Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic are completely dependent on these supplies, that is, 100%.
On the sale of uranium in the European Union, Russia earns 450 million euros a year.
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"Germany planned to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022."

Title:

Content: Pseudo-green policy of Germany isolates the country, says the expert - RIA Novosti, 15.04.2023
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Germany ’ s pseudo-green policy isolates the country, says expert
Expert Damien Ernst: pseudo-green policy deprives Germany of leadership in the EU
© RIA Novosti / Igor Zarembo | Go to the media bankView of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
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BRUSSELS, April 15 – RIA Novosti.
The radical energy policy of Germany and its attempt to impose its vision on partners will only lead to the isolation of Germany from other countries of the European Union, Damien Ernst, a European expert, a lecturer at the University of Liege in Belgium and the Polytechnic Institute in Paris, told RIA Novosti.
Germany will stop on April 15, 2023, the operation of the last three operating German nuclear power plants “Isar-2 ”,“ Neckarwesteim-2 ” and “Emsland ”.
It was originally planned that Germany would abandon nuclear power in 2022, but later plans were changed.
Three of the country ’ s last six nuclear power plants have already been shut down.
Earlier it was reported that the majority of the population did not agree with this decision, while other countries announced their intention to continue or expand the use of nuclear energy.
No guarantees.
The Americans decided to leave Europe without gas
“Today ’ s coalition in Berlin is clearly at the mercy of the Greens, and Germany is making its energy stance more radical, isolating itself from most other EU countries.
Germany is making the wrong decisions and losing leadership in Europe.
Germany will press its partners to impose its costly energy vision.
Many will not support it, ” the expert said.
In his opinion, the energy issue has already become a stumbling block in relations between Germany and France.
“
The "special relationship" between Germany and France is dead.
Chancellor Scholz is going to Beijing without inviting Macron to join him, but the main disagreement is about nuclear energy, "Ernst said.
Against the background of the energy crisis in Europe, Germany ’ s decision will only aggravate the situation.
“Pressure on gas prices will rise again next winter, if you add to this the decision of Germany to end nuclear energy, it will lead to higher prices for all European citizens, ” the expert said.
Russians, out!
Germany wants a nuclear rematch
In addition, according to him, the supposedly green policy of the country will only lead to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, as Germany will have to open new coal and gas power plants instead of closed nuclear power plants.
“
“Renewable sources cannot (produce so much energy – ed.), they are terribly expensive for the sake of very small and unreliable production (energy – ed.) ”, – concludes the expert.
The energy crisis in the European Union worsened in early July 2022, when there were the first interruptions in the supply of gas from Russia to a number of EU countries, including problems with the maintenance of turbines for Nord Stream due to sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation.
The West has increased sanctions pressure on Russia over Ukraine, which has led to higher prices for electricity, fuel and food in Europe and the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire world economy.
According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people.
Russia has repeatedly stated that Russia will solve all the problems that the West creates for it.
Repeat the fate of the USSR.
Destroying the European Union from the inside
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"The decision to finally abandon the peaceful atom was given to the German authorities not easy."

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Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"They were going to stop the work of the remaining stations by the end of this year - this decision was made under Angela Merkel, after the Japanese Fukushima accident in a powerful earthquake in 2011."

Title:

Content: Scholz approved the extension of the life of nuclear power plants in Germany
Photo: Depositphotos
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out in support of extending the life of the country ’ s last nuclear power plants.
He said that this “makes sense ” because of the reduction of gas supplies from Russia, which increases the prospect of an energy crisis this winter.
According to Spiegel, the three stations, which are scheduled to close later this year, make up only a small part of Germany ’ s total electricity capacity.
They are watching now
“But it might still make sense to let them work longer, ” he said.
Scholz notes that the authorities will draw conclusions based on the stress test of the German electric power system, which is now underway, after which a decision will be made on further actions.
The Chancellor added that the German gas storage facilities are filled better than in previous years, and also said that the planned new liquefied gas terminals should be operational from the end of the year, which will significantly improve Germany ’ s ability to import gas regardless of Russia ’ s actions.
The issue of Germany ’ s continued operation of nuclear power plants became a bone of contention among the three parties of the ruling coalition.
So, the Free Democrats want nuclear power plants to work longer.
The Social Democrats of Scholz and the Greens opposed it.
However, the chancellor believes that the government has rethought what is happening.
According to him, some German states, for example, Bavaria, will probably have to allow their nuclear plants to work longer, because they are behind in the construction of wind farms and new electricity grids.
Germany is also reportedly exporting electricity to France, which has had to shut down several of its nuclear power plants for technical reasons.
In Germany, this is an important contribution to European solidarity.
Last year, Germany shut down three of its six nuclear power plants.
They were going to stop the work of the remaining stations by the end of this year - this decision was made under Angela Merkel, after the Japanese Fukushima accident in a powerful earthquake in 2011.
Source: Spiegel
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Content: CDU leader Merz explained what consequences await Germany because of the rejection of nuclear energy
The German power grid will be overloaded in the fall and winter of 2023.
This was stated by the CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
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"The nuance is that in the near future, Germany will have to rely on coal and gas, which have a negative impact on the environment."

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Content: The people are not particularly happy with the government ’ s choice.
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Germany has completely abandoned nuclear power, turning off the last three power units located at the Emsland nuclear power plant (Lower Saxony), Necarwesteim-2 (Baden-Württemberg), Isar-2 (Bavaria).
Now the country has only to get rid of nuclear waste.
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The decision to phase out nuclear power came from then-Chancellor Angela Merkel after the disaster of 2011, when the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan, which killed at least 15.9 thousand people.
Initially, it was planned to stop nuclear reactors on December 31, 2022, but due to rising energy prices, the German government delayed this until mid-April 2023.
The nuance is that in the near future, Germany will have to rely on coal and gas, which have a negative impact on the environment.
Of the advantages, only that you need to compensate a little - 6% of electricity generation, which was just those nuclear reactors.
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According to YouGov, two-thirds of Germans do not support the government ’ s decision to replace the cheap “peaceful atom ”.
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Content: CDU leader Merz explained what consequences await Germany because of the rejection of nuclear energy
The German power grid will be overloaded in the fall and winter of 2023.
This was stated by the CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
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"In Germany, officials are adamant that the return of coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country’s ambition to phase out its use by 2030."

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Content: Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing hard with the European Union, cutting off gas supplies to some of his best buyers in a fit of rage over sanctions imposed after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, write Lorenz Gerke, Karl Matisen and Paola Tamma on June 20 in the European version of Politico.
Pierre Edouard Frere.
Furnace Melting (Fragment)
As a result, the authorities of these countries are under enormous political pressure, there is a risk that in the case of a cold winter, the inhabitants of European countries will simply freeze, and there is a danger of disrupting the climate goals of the bloc, whose states have to switch their energy from gas to coal.
Such a development could even lead to a recession on the continent.
Simone Tagliapietra, a specialist at the Bruegel think tank, calls Russia ’ s policy “energy blackmail. ”
Only 40% of the normal volume of gas passes through the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Germany, which affects supplies to France, Italy and Austria, as well as to Germany.
Russia ’ s gas monopoly, Gazprom, has already cut off all supplies to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark after energy companies in those countries refused to comply with the Kremlin ’ s demands to pay for supplies in rubles.
In response, some countries are planning to launch coal-fired power plants.
“It is necessary to recognize that Putin is gradually reducing gas supplies to Europe, including to increase gas prices, and we must take retaliatory measures, ” German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a television interview on June 19, adding that“ this is a tense, serious situation. ”
Austria plans to restart one of its coal-fired power plants, Poland seeks to subsidize coal mining for heating their homes, and the Netherlands on June 20 decided to abandon previously adopted plans to limit electricity generation at its four coal-fired power plants.
“If it weren ’ t for these special times, we would never have done it, ” Dutch climate and energy minister Rob Jetten said.
Compressor station "Portovaya"
Official website of PJSC Gazprom
Nord Stream gas pipeline
Official website of PJSC Gazprom
The Italian government is scheduled to hold a crisis meeting on June 21, while Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has ordered two LNG regasification plants and is negotiating with countries including Qatar, Angola and Algeria to sign gas supply agreements from them in a desperate attempt to secure supplies in the event of a halt to imports from Russia.
Brussels, for its part, seeks to radiate confidence, but its anxiety is obvious.
“We take the current situation very seriously.
But we are ready, ” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a meeting with journalists on June 20.
Times are not getting easier. ”
Dirty Deals
Such a desire to start using coal again to provide energy is, in symbolic terms, inconvenient for the inhabitants of European countries, which are very concerned about the climate.
However, few believe that the EU or its member states will move far from their previous policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In Germany, officials are adamant that the return of coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country ’ s ambition to phase out its use by 2030.
Coal will act as a reserve for the energy sector, allowing the country to build up gas reserves before winter.
Meanwhile, the government plans to rapidly increase the production of clean energy.
Coal thermal power plant in Förde, Germany
Daniel Ullrich Threedots
According to Simon Muller, director of Agora Energiewende analytical center, political support for renewable energy sources has increased in Germany due to Russia ’ s special operation in Ukraine.
“This additional urgency factor that we now have in the face of this situation helps provide the political momentum that we need for some very important accelerations in the development of renewable energy, ” Mueller said.
The German parliament is considering 10 measures on energy efficiency and renewable energy, and as Müller noted, the three-party coalition as a whole adheres to the importance of removing barriers to green energy.
Green organizations are also optimistic.
“There is currently no plan in Germany that could call into question the timing of a coal phase-out, ” said Christoph Bals, political director of Germanwatch.
But the need to quickly change the approach to coal recycling is exacerbating political tensions.
In Berlin, the conservative opposition criticized Habeck for allowing more coal to be used, while excluding the further operation of Germany ’ s three remaining nuclear power plants after the end of this year.
“I do not understand why the climate minister of the Greens prefers to extend the operation of coal-fired power plants, rather than carbon-neutral nuclear power plants, ” Jens Spahn, deputy head of the Christian Democratic Party in parliament, told German television on June 20.
The policy of abandoning nuclear energy was adopted by the former leader of his party, Angela Merkel.
And this course is a source of tension within the ruling coalition.
“It is necessary that the three remaining nuclear power plants last longer, ” said Bijan Jir-Sarai, secretary general of the Liberal Free Democrats.
While acknowledging that the move was a “violation of the taboo, ” Habek said coal is still better than a revival of nuclear power, arguing that a change in nuclear policy would only have an impact at the end of next year — too late to prepare for this winter.
He was supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said in an interview published on June 20 that “nuclear energy will not help us now or in the next two years, and that is the main thing. ”
Political leaders are calling on their people to save energy and cut gas consumption, while governments are working to increase storage capacity to allow the continent to survive the winter shutdown of gas supplies to Russia.
At the very least, they are thinking about rationing the gas.
Cutting off gas supplies will almost certainly lead the bloc into recession.
The European Central Bank has warned that next year the eurozone economy will shrink by 1.7% if Russia completely closes the faucet.
“Power outages and small opportunities for immediate replacement of gas supplies from Russia are likely to require some rationing and redistribution of resources, which will lead to a reduction in production in the eurozone, in particular in energy-intensive sectors, ” the bank said in a statement, according to which, if this happens, the bloc ’ s economy will recover next year.
But the ECB also issued a warning to Russia.
“As for the Russian economy, the scenario assumes a serious recession with a contraction in production similar to the contraction that occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union, ” the organization said.

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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Title:

Content: CDU leader Merz explained what consequences await Germany because of the rejection of nuclear energy
The German power grid will be overloaded in the fall and winter of 2023.
This was stated by the CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
Back to article
Picture of the day
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"Russian President Vladimir Putin is playing hard with the European Union, cutting off gas supplies to some of his best buyers in a fit of rage over sanctions imposed after the start of the special operation in Ukraine..."
8.

"Such a development could even lead to a recession on the continent."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"The European Central Bank has warned that next year the eurozone economy will shrink by 1.7% if Russia completely closes the faucet."

"A week ago, in political Berlin, there were calls to postpone the closure of the reactors for at least a few months, so as not to jeopardize the security of energy supply in the country."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"The prime minister of Bavaria...Markus Seder has already said that he will ask the federal government to reconsider its decision."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"And he promised that in the case of a positive decision from Berlin, Bavaria is ready to take responsibility for the operation of the nuclear power plant."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
Add AN to your sources so as not to miss important events - Yandex News
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"However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
Add AN to your sources so as not to miss important events - Yandex News
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Title:

Content: CDU leader Merz explained what consequences await Germany because of the rejection of nuclear energy
The German power grid will be overloaded in the fall and winter of 2023.
This was stated by the CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
Back to article
Picture of the day
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"Against the background of the energy crisis in Europe, Germany’s decision will only aggravate the situation."

"Many will not support it,” the expert said."

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
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"Scholz approved the extension of the life of nuclear power plants in Germany."

Title:

Content: Scholz approved the extension of the life of nuclear power plants in Germany
Photo: Depositphotos
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out in support of extending the life of the country ’ s last nuclear power plants.
He said that this “makes sense ” because of the reduction of gas supplies from Russia, which increases the prospect of an energy crisis this winter.
According to Spiegel, the three stations, which are scheduled to close later this year, make up only a small part of Germany ’ s total electricity capacity.
They are watching now
“But it might still make sense to let them work longer, ” he said.
Scholz notes that the authorities will draw conclusions based on the stress test of the German electric power system, which is now underway, after which a decision will be made on further actions.
The Chancellor added that the German gas storage facilities are filled better than in previous years, and also said that the planned new liquefied gas terminals should be operational from the end of the year, which will significantly improve Germany ’ s ability to import gas regardless of Russia ’ s actions.
The issue of Germany ’ s continued operation of nuclear power plants became a bone of contention among the three parties of the ruling coalition.
So, the Free Democrats want nuclear power plants to work longer.
The Social Democrats of Scholz and the Greens opposed it.
However, the chancellor believes that the government has rethought what is happening.
According to him, some German states, for example, Bavaria, will probably have to allow their nuclear plants to work longer, because they are behind in the construction of wind farms and new electricity grids.
Germany is also reportedly exporting electricity to France, which has had to shut down several of its nuclear power plants for technical reasons.
In Germany, this is an important contribution to European solidarity.
Last year, Germany shut down three of its six nuclear power plants.
They were going to stop the work of the remaining stations by the end of this year - this decision was made under Angela Merkel, after the Japanese Fukushima accident in a powerful earthquake in 2011.
Source: Spiegel
If you find an error, please select a text fragment and press Ctrl + Enter
Did you find the word in the text?
Pomilka

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
Add AN to your sources so as not to miss important events - Yandex News
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"He was supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who said...“nuclear energy will not help us now or in the next two years, and that is the main thing.”"
18.

"Now the country has only to get rid of nuclear waste."

Title:

Content: The people are not particularly happy with the government ’ s choice.
recommendations
Germany has completely abandoned nuclear power, turning off the last three power units located at the Emsland nuclear power plant (Lower Saxony), Necarwesteim-2 (Baden-Württemberg), Isar-2 (Bavaria).
Now the country has only to get rid of nuclear waste.
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The decision to phase out nuclear power came from then-Chancellor Angela Merkel after the disaster of 2011, when the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in Japan, which killed at least 15.9 thousand people.
Initially, it was planned to stop nuclear reactors on December 31, 2022, but due to rising energy prices, the German government delayed this until mid-April 2023.
The nuance is that in the near future, Germany will have to rely on coal and gas, which have a negative impact on the environment.
Of the advantages, only that you need to compensate a little - 6% of electricity generation, which was just those nuclear reactors.
recommendations
According to YouGov, two-thirds of Germans do not support the government ’ s decision to replace the cheap “peaceful atom ”.
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This material is written by a visitor to the site, and a reward is accrued for it.
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Popular news

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
Add AN to your sources so as not to miss important events - Yandex News
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"The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say 'adventure') irreversible..."

**(These sentences spotlight the rationale, grid and energy security concerns, political/sectoral pushback, consequences of Russian pressure, and handling of nuclear power/post-nuclear waste.

Title:

Content: Arguments of the Week Society → Nature 13 +
In 2022, Germany will get rid of all remaining nuclear power plants
, 15: 26
For Germany, which has abandoned nuclear power plants, only gas can provide minimal emissions, reasonable prices and growing energy consumption.
But at the same time, the Nord Stream 2 project is seriously stalled.
Despite the fact that EU policy does not exclude the use of nuclear power plants, Germany considers nuclear energy dangerous and opposes the EU ’ s plan to leave nuclear power plants in the region.
By the end of this year, Germany will shut down all its nuclear power plants, and by 2030 it will abandon coal.
This was stated by the representative of the German government S. Hebstrait.
This is reported by TK "High Voltage".
The government believes that it is necessary to develop alternative energy sources, including hydrogen, so that they replace gas as soon as possible.
The enthusiasm and perseverance with which the Greens in Germany are pushing their climate program would probably be enough to turn the Siberian rivers.
But many note that there is no economic justification for this, and it will be pure voluntarism in general, if you quarrel with Russia.
However, there are those who consider the course chosen by Germany to be a dead end in any case.
Once - after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima - Angela Merkel emotionally shut down six nuclear power plants in the country.
The closure of three of the six German nuclear power plants that operated until the beginning of 2022 is a pure winning ideology.
The new government of Germany makes it clear that it will spend the next four years to make the green revolution (some say “adventure ”) irreversible, Izvestia writes.
Add AN to your sources so as not to miss important events - Yandex News
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**Key Sentences Extracted (with focus on reasons for Germany’s nuclear shutdown, grid impacts, external pressures including the Ukraine war, and social responses):**

1.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
EXPRESS: Germany ’ s exit from atomic energy sector affects Europe ’ s largest economy
Germany ’ s closure of the country ’ s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union ’ s largest economy.
Germany ’ s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
Berlin is implementing its plan to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035.
Earlier this week, Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants as part of Berlin's plan to limit power generation to renewables by 2035, ending a six-decade programme that has sparked one of Europe's most powerful protest movements.
Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, rely on nuclear power to replace the fossil fuels that are warming the planet, and Germany ’ s decision to stop using both has been met with some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown, the report said.
Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, realizing that the action taken by Europe ’ s largest economy could deal a blow to technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs, even as steps are taken to dramatically increase electricity production from solar and wind power, and Germany aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.
But officials like German Environment Minister Stevie Lemke say the idea of a nuclear renaissance is a myth, citing data showing that the share of atomic energy in global electricity production is shrinking.
The construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns.
Limki noted that the construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns, and said the money spent on maintaining old reactors or building new ones would be better spent on installing cheap renewables.
Experts such as Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin say the 5% share of German electricity currently coming from its three remaining reactors can be easily replaced without risking power outages.

Germany’s closure of the country’s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union’s largest economy.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
EXPRESS: Germany ’ s exit from atomic energy sector affects Europe ’ s largest economy
Germany ’ s closure of the country ’ s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union ’ s largest economy.
Germany ’ s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
Berlin is implementing its plan to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035.
Earlier this week, Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants as part of Berlin's plan to limit power generation to renewables by 2035, ending a six-decade programme that has sparked one of Europe's most powerful protest movements.
Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, rely on nuclear power to replace the fossil fuels that are warming the planet, and Germany ’ s decision to stop using both has been met with some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown, the report said.
Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, realizing that the action taken by Europe ’ s largest economy could deal a blow to technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs, even as steps are taken to dramatically increase electricity production from solar and wind power, and Germany aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.
But officials like German Environment Minister Stevie Lemke say the idea of a nuclear renaissance is a myth, citing data showing that the share of atomic energy in global electricity production is shrinking.
The construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns.
Limki noted that the construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns, and said the money spent on maintaining old reactors or building new ones would be better spent on installing cheap renewables.
Experts such as Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin say the 5% share of German electricity currently coming from its three remaining reactors can be easily replaced without risking power outages.

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Germany’s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
EXPRESS: Germany ’ s exit from atomic energy sector affects Europe ’ s largest economy
Germany ’ s closure of the country ’ s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union ’ s largest economy.
Germany ’ s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
Berlin is implementing its plan to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035.
Earlier this week, Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants as part of Berlin's plan to limit power generation to renewables by 2035, ending a six-decade programme that has sparked one of Europe's most powerful protest movements.
Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, rely on nuclear power to replace the fossil fuels that are warming the planet, and Germany ’ s decision to stop using both has been met with some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown, the report said.
Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, realizing that the action taken by Europe ’ s largest economy could deal a blow to technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs, even as steps are taken to dramatically increase electricity production from solar and wind power, and Germany aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.
But officials like German Environment Minister Stevie Lemke say the idea of a nuclear renaissance is a myth, citing data showing that the share of atomic energy in global electricity production is shrinking.
The construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns.
Limki noted that the construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns, and said the money spent on maintaining old reactors or building new ones would be better spent on installing cheap renewables.
Experts such as Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin say the 5% share of German electricity currently coming from its three remaining reactors can be easily replaced without risking power outages.

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
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German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe’s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.

Title:

Content: “There is no excuse for the rich West to be oblivious to the global debt crisis. ” – The Guardian
We start with an opinion piece by Larry Elliott, the Guardian ’ s economic editor, entitled “The wealthy West has little excuse for finally waking up to the global debt crisis. ”
“After a decade or more of their obsession with their own problems, countries in the wealthy West have begun to pay attention to the threat of a looming debt crisis in the poorer parts of the world, ” he says at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week.
The good news is that debt has risen to the highest level on the policy agenda and is seen as a problem that needs to be regulated, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said about the need for distressed countries to help: “Help them deal with the debt burden, which has made the shocks of past years more difficult; and help ensure that the IMF can continue to support them in the years to come. ”
The bad news, according to Elliott, is that Georgieva ’ s appeal has not yet been heeded, as rich countries are still primarily interested in their own problems.
The geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is also not helping.
Creditor countries may wake up to the idea that there is a debt problem but it is far from a solution.
Talk is not like work. ”
Achim Steiner, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said: “There are more than 50 countries on his radar that can default very quickly. ”
Steiner believes that the UN has no chance of meeting its ambitious 2030 development goals, unless there is urgent action.
The volume of lending by the private sector has made attempts to restructure or write off debt more complex than in the past.
At the time of the HIPC initiative, creditors tended to be either individual governments or multilateral organizations such as the World Bank.
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“But since the global financial crisis, many countries, especially middle-income countries, have borrowed heavily in financial markets, taking advantage of very low interest rates to finance domestic projects. ”
After the setback of the COVID-19 epidemic, low- and middle-income countries have since been hit by two other undesirable shocks: the war in Ukraine, which led to higher food and fuel prices, and the sharp increase in central bank interest rates in large Western economies.
The result is that debt servicing has become much more expensive, with many countries now frozen out of financial markets altogether.
Steiner said: "The issue is not financial but political.
The United States has mobilized $400 billion to secure Silicon Valley Bank deposits.
This is more than the developing world has received in three years.
It took the Swiss government less than 48 hours to find 100 billion Swiss francs to secure the rescue of one of its banks.
“The lesson of the recent banking crises is clear.
Rich countries can act fast enough when they want to, ” the writer concludes.
Fears of Macron ’ s politics
We turn to another Financial Times opinion piece by Alain Beatty, a trade writer, entitled “The Risks of Emmanuel Macron ’ s Strategic Insistence. ”
Macron ’ s focus on keeping a distance from both Washington and Beijing in pursuit of the EU ’ s vague “strategic autonomy ” is not an innovation among European policymakers, but geopolitical Europe enthusiasts need to recognize that the lack of unity and trust within the EU, rather than the sinister manipulation by Washington and Beijing, is the main obstacle.
“We ’ ve already seen this happen in trade policy, which is one area where the EU has long had the ability to act collectively.
In the same way that there is nothing stopping European governments from increasing military spending and playing a greater geopolitical role, the bloc can certainly increase its ability to use trade to project its strategic influence.
But while France has been keen to create new tools for intervening in trade and investment, other member states recognize that the views and interests of Paris are not necessarily those of the bloc as a whole.
“In recent years, the European Commission has carefully designed a range of trade instruments to confirm the bloc ’ s geo-economic weight.
The most politically salient is the anti-coercion tool ECI, which will allow the EU to use a wide range of trade and investment measures to retaliate against the bullying of trading partners.
France has strongly supported all this activity, and has also called for the creation of new EU central funds to pursue industrial policy.
“But the Commission will struggle to use this set of tools if there is opposition from other member states that are mindful of their export interests or distrust in using trade tools to manage a centralized strategic policy.
A few days before Macron ’ s trip, the Commission succumbed to pressure from some EU governments, including Germany, and gave member states a major role in determining the use of ECI.
Berlin instinctively avoids confrontation that could damage German exports and investments abroad.
There have also been more principled objections from liberal member states including Sweden and the Czech Republic, sceptical of attempts to politicize trade policy and the likelihood that it will be overly influenced by certain governments.
Macron inadvertently contributed to these concerns, especially as he unnerved some other EU governments two years ago with a clear orientation toward a major investment deal with China, “leaving a legacy of caution. ”
“Attempting to push a union with divergent views to adopt a single approach to a specific global issue is unlikely to produce long-term results. ”
German split on energy policy
We remain with an article by Laura Bettel, the Financial Times correspondent in Berlin, entitled “Germany is being torn apart by energy policy with the closure of nuclear plants. ”
Bethel said Germany ’ s last remaining nuclear power plants were shut down on Saturday, “marking a watershed moment in a country that has long had deep doubts about atomic energy. ”
Anti-nuclear activists hailed the shutdown of three reactors as a victory after a temporary delay following the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war that forced Berlin to look for alternatives to Russian gas.
Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe ’ s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.
After decades of anti-nuclear protests, the decisive moment came in 2011 when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country ’ s nuclear plants until 2036, bringing the phase-out date to 2022.
The anti-nuclear movement in former West Germany dates back to the 1970s, when a popular campaign succeeded in stopping the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southwestern village of Weil.
The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 fuelled that movement.
But German public opinion shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War: an August 2022 poll from Der Spiegel found that 67 percent of Germans supported a five-year extension of the country ’ s nuclear plants.
41% supported the construction of new plants.
In a similar poll three decades ago, only 3% said yes.
But the German Green Party, now part of the three-way coalition government led by Olaf Schulz, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.
“The way in which Germany has chosen to phase out nuclear power, and step back from fossil fuels as a bridging gap even as renewables increase dramatically, has been highly controversial. ”

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
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German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

This was supposed to happen at the end of last year, but because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.

Title:

Content: German Minister of Environment expresses satisfaction with the closure of the last nuclear power plant in the country - Sunrise Gate
Saturday 15 April 2023 1: 55 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
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German environment minister welcomes shutdown of country ’ s last nuclear power plant
DBA
Published on: Saturday 15 April 2023 - 1: 46 PM | Last updated on Saturday 15 April 2023 - 1: 46 PM
German Environment Minister Steffe Lemke welcomed the closure of the country ’ s last nuclear power plant on Saturday.
Speaking to the German news agency dpa, she said: “Leaving nuclear power makes Germany safer.
In the event of an accident, the risks of nuclear energy are ultimately uncontrollable. ”
According to the assessment of the German Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, the exit from nuclear power is a sound step in light of the Russian war against Ukraine.
According to the Office of Internal Oversight Services, radioactive elements stored in the final repositories within deep geological layers are thus more protected against attacks or sabotage than in a reactor or temporary storage facility above ground.
Head of the office, Wolfram Konech, said: “Concrete, barbed wire and security guards cannot replace long-term storage in deep and stable geological formations. ”
Germany's three remaining nuclear power plants are due to be permanently disconnected from the grid on Saturday.
This was supposed to happen at the end of last year, but because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
Last year, the German government decided to allow the reactors to continue operating during the winter.
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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Last year, the German government decided to allow the reactors to continue operating during the winter.

Title:

Content: German Minister of Environment expresses satisfaction with the closure of the last nuclear power plant in the country - Sunrise Gate
Saturday 15 April 2023 1: 55 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
Most Read
You might like it, too.
Share your opinion
Do you support the decision of the owner of Pyramids Club to stop investing in Egypt?
German environment minister welcomes shutdown of country ’ s last nuclear power plant
DBA
Published on: Saturday 15 April 2023 - 1: 46 PM | Last updated on Saturday 15 April 2023 - 1: 46 PM
German Environment Minister Steffe Lemke welcomed the closure of the country ’ s last nuclear power plant on Saturday.
Speaking to the German news agency dpa, she said: “Leaving nuclear power makes Germany safer.
In the event of an accident, the risks of nuclear energy are ultimately uncontrollable. ”
According to the assessment of the German Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, the exit from nuclear power is a sound step in light of the Russian war against Ukraine.
According to the Office of Internal Oversight Services, radioactive elements stored in the final repositories within deep geological layers are thus more protected against attacks or sabotage than in a reactor or temporary storage facility above ground.
Head of the office, Wolfram Konech, said: “Concrete, barbed wire and security guards cannot replace long-term storage in deep and stable geological formations. ”
Germany's three remaining nuclear power plants are due to be permanently disconnected from the grid on Saturday.
This was supposed to happen at the end of last year, but because of the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis.
Last year, the German government decided to allow the reactors to continue operating during the winter.
You might like it, too.
Share your comment

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Germany has cut the last three remaining nuclear power plants off the grid, ending the country’s nuclear energy production after more than 60 years.

Title:

Content: The last station closed.
Germany ends production of nuclear energy
Germany has cut the last three remaining nuclear power plants off the grid, ending the country ’ s nuclear energy production after more than 60 years.
The three remaining nuclear reactors in Germany, Essar II in Bavaria, Issland in Lower Saxony and Neckarvistheim in Baden-Württemberg, were shut down yesterday.
The operator of the Nikarvistheim 2 nuclear plant was the last to report that the shutdown had been completed.
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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg calls Germany's use of coal instead of nuclear power a "bad idea"
9.

Title:

Content: Environmental activist Greta Thunberg calls Germany's use of coal instead of nuclear power a "bad idea"
© AFP 2022 / CRISTINA QUICLERSwedish schoolgirl and environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, December 11, 2019
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised Germany ’ s plan to shut down its remaining nuclear plants while increasing its coal-fired power.
Thunberg, 19, said in a television interview that turning off nuclear power plants was a “bad idea ” if it meant switching to coal, according to Politico.
Asked if nuclear power is the best for the climate, Greta Thunberg, 2019 Time magazine ’ s Person of the Year, replied: “It depends, if the nuclear already works for them I think it would be a mistake to shut it down and switch to coal. ”
Germany plans to close its remaining three nuclear plants by the end of 2022, under pressure from gas shortages and prolonged outages of French nuclear plants, which have caused supply shortages and soaring prices.
Germany is likely to extend the life of two of its nuclear reactors until April 2023.
Germany restarts first coal-fired power plant amid gas crisis
Berlin has revived its idle coal plants in order to cope with the current energy crisis and is paying operators of closed brown coal plants up to 450 million euros to equip them for emergency operation during the winter, but the German government still insists it will end coal use by 2030.
In August, Germany ’ s Uniper restarted a backup coal-fired power plant to secure power supplies, due to power shortages caused by sanctions on Russia.
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Asked if nuclear power is the best for the climate, Greta Thunberg, 2019 Time magazine’s Person of the Year, replied: “It depends, if the nuclear already works for them I think it would be a mistake to shut it down and switch to coal."

Title:

Content: Environmental activist Greta Thunberg calls Germany's use of coal instead of nuclear power a "bad idea"
© AFP 2022 / CRISTINA QUICLERSwedish schoolgirl and environmental activist, Greta Thunberg, December 11, 2019
Follow us via
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised Germany ’ s plan to shut down its remaining nuclear plants while increasing its coal-fired power.
Thunberg, 19, said in a television interview that turning off nuclear power plants was a “bad idea ” if it meant switching to coal, according to Politico.
Asked if nuclear power is the best for the climate, Greta Thunberg, 2019 Time magazine ’ s Person of the Year, replied: “It depends, if the nuclear already works for them I think it would be a mistake to shut it down and switch to coal. ”
Germany plans to close its remaining three nuclear plants by the end of 2022, under pressure from gas shortages and prolonged outages of French nuclear plants, which have caused supply shortages and soaring prices.
Germany is likely to extend the life of two of its nuclear reactors until April 2023.
Germany restarts first coal-fired power plant amid gas crisis
Berlin has revived its idle coal plants in order to cope with the current energy crisis and is paying operators of closed brown coal plants up to 450 million euros to equip them for emergency operation during the winter, but the German government still insists it will end coal use by 2030.
In August, Germany ’ s Uniper restarted a backup coal-fired power plant to secure power supplies, due to power shortages caused by sanctions on Russia.
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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

In addition to economic and climate damage, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ratcheting up pressure on the European Union by cutting off gas shipments to some of Russia’s best customers, with anger at sanctions imposed on his country after the invasion of Ukraine.

Title:

Content: In addition to economic and climate damage
Russia ’ s ‘ gas war ’ threatens EU political stability
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ratcheting up pressure on the European Union by cutting off gas shipments to some of Russia ’ s best customers, with anger at sanctions imposed on his country after the invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow is exerting enormous political pressure on governments, threatening to leave Europeans frozen if the coming winter is cold, and potentially undermining the bloc ’ s climate goals as countries replace gas-fired energy with coal.
It could even push the continent into recession.
Simon Tagliapitra, an analyst at the Bruegel Research Foundation, describes Russia ’ s policies as “energy blackmail. ”
40% of the gas flows along the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Germany under the sea, affecting deliveries to France, Italy and Austria, as well as Germany.
Russia ’ s Gazprom, which has a monopoly on gas exports, halted all deliveries to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark after energy companies in those countries refused to comply with Kremlin demands to pay for deliveries in rubles.
In response, some countries are planning to launch coal-fired power plants.
German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a television interview last week: "It must be acknowledged that Putin is gradually reducing gas supplies to Europe, and also raising prices, and we must respond to that with actions."
burning coal
Meanwhile, Austria plans to restart the coal-burning power plant again.
Poland plans to subsidize coal used to heat homes.
Last week, the Netherlands scrapped previous plans to limit production at four coal-fired power plants.
Climate Minister Rob Gitain said: “If these were not extraordinary times, we would never have done that. ”
The Italian government held a crisis meeting, and Prime Minister Mario Draghi ordered the operation of two units to reconvert liquefied natural gas (LNG) into natural gas, and talked with countries including Qatar, Angola and Algeria to sign gas supply deals in a desperate attempt to secure supplies in the event of a disruption from the Russian side.
Show confidence
Brussels is keen to show confidence, but the concern is clear.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a meeting with reporters last week: “We view the situation we are in now as very dangerous; we are ready. ”
The rush to burn coal to secure energy supplies is embarrassing for climate-conscious Europeans.
But few expect it to drive the EU or its member states off track in their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In Germany, officials insist that a return to coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country ’ s path to zero coal power by 2030.
Coal will serve as a backup for the energy sector, allowing the country to meet its needs before winter.
In the meantime, the government plans to rapidly increase clean energy.
Simon Müller, director of the research centre Aguda Energivendi, said the Russian invasion had boosted political support for renewables in Germany: “This additional layer of urgency that we now have in the face of this situation is helping to provide the political momentum we need for some very important renewable energy construction efforts. ”
The German parliament is considering 10 measures for energy efficiency and renewable energy, and Mueller said the three-party coalition was broadly coherent on the importance of removing barriers to green energy.
Green groups were also optimistic.
Christoph Ballz, director of policy at German Watch, said: “There is absolutely no plan in Germany right now to set the end date for coal use. ”
But the need for a rapid change in the course of coal phase-out is exacerbating political tensions.
In Berlin, the conservative opposition criticized Habeck and Chancellor Olaf Schulz for allowing increased coal use, while ruling out keeping Germany ’ s three remaining nuclear power plants running after the end of this year.
Jens Spahn, deputy chairman of the Christian Democrats in parliament, told German television last week: “I don ’ t understand how the government allows more coal plants to run longer than carbon-neutral nuclear power plants. ”
The policy of “renouncing nuclear energy ” was one of the policies adopted by the former leader of his party, Angela Merkel.
This policy is also causing pressure within the ruling coalition.
Rationalization of consumption
The Liberal Democrat secretary-general, Bijan Geir Saray, said: “What is necessary now is to keep the remaining three nuclear power plants running longer.
Acknowledging the move was “breaking the taboo, ” Habik said, adding that coal was still better than reviving nuclear power and that a change in nuclear policy would only have an impact at the end of next year, too late to help this winter.
He was backed by Chancellor Olav Schulz, who said in a recently published interview that "nuclear energy will not help us, now, not in the next two years, which is what matters."
Gas rationing
Political leaders are calling on their people to rationalize energy consumption and reduce gas use, while governments are working to increase storage levels to allow the continent to overcome Russia ’ s winter gas outage.
As a last resort, they are considering rationing gas.
Stopping gas supplies would almost certainly push the European bloc into recession.
The European Central Bank has warned that the eurozone will shrink by 1.7% next year if Russia closes the tap completely.
“Energy supply disruptions and low prospects for an immediate replacement of gas supplies from Russia are likely to require some rationing and reallocation of resources, leading to lower output in the eurozone, especially in sectors with high energy consumption, ” the bank said.
The bank predicted that if this happens, the bloc ’ s economy will recover next year.
But the ECB also warned Russian President Vladimir Putin: “With regard to the Russian economy, the scenario is characterized by a severe recession with a contraction in production, similar to the one that occurred when the Soviet Union collapsed. ”
The rush to burn coal to secure energy supplies is embarrassing for climate-conscious Europeans.
1.7%
The rate of contraction of the eurozone, next year, if Russia completely stops supply.
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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
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German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

40% of the gas flows along the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia to Germany under the sea, affecting deliveries to France, Italy and Austria, as well as Germany.

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

German Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said in a television interview last week: "It must be acknowledged that Putin is gradually reducing gas supplies to Europe, and also raising prices, and we must respond to that with actions."

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

In Germany, officials insist that a return to coal will be short-lived and will not jeopardize the country’s path to zero coal power by 2030.

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

The rush to burn coal to secure energy supplies is embarrassing for climate-conscious Europeans.

**(These sentences best capture: the rationale behind the nuclear phase-out; the complications brought by the Russian-Ukrainian war; the transition’s stress on the system; social/activist doubts about the decision; the government’s energy security concerns; and the temporary increase in coal usage, set against Germany’s long-term decarbonization plans.

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Title:

Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
Programs
Watch our latest episodes online
Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
Associated Press
A A A
Print Article
German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

**Key sentences extracted based on your questions (about Germany’s nuclear phase-out, grid coping, Russian war impact, and social/political dynamics):**

- Since it has been impossible to find a foolproof way to store nuclear waste, opponents have begun to question whether nuclear energy is really a clean energy source.

Title:

Content: Read the history of the moment: why is Germany so entangled in nuclear power? | German News | DW | 14.04.2023
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Read the history of the present: why is Germany so entangled in nuclear power?
Germany was proud of its nuclear power generation technology, but at the same time the technology has been so controversial that it has finally decided that April 15, 2023 is the date of withdrawal from nuclear power.
However, as the energy crisis caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war continues to intensify, the wisdom of the decision to say goodbye to nuclear energy has been widely discussed.
Germany ’ s nuclear policy is in dispute again
It all started with an "egg" - Germany's first nuclear reactor in Garching, near Munich, went into operation in October 1957.
Because the nuclear reactor, which belongs to the University of Munich, resembles an egg, it is nicknamed the "atomic egg".
It was a milestone in Germany's nuclear energy research and a symbol of Germany's resurgence after World War II.
The nuclear reactor, which was used for scientific purposes, remained in operation until 2000.
In 1957, Germany built its first nuclear reactor.
Three years later, in 1960, the first nuclear power plant for civilian use was built in the city of Kahl, on the banks of the Main River in Bavaria.
At that time, atomic energy was widely regarded as both safe and reliable. The 1973 oil crisis gave further impetus to the rapid development of nuclear energy in Germany.
The start of the anti-nuclear movement
Since it has been impossible to find a foolproof way to store nuclear waste, opponents have begun to question whether nuclear energy is really a clean energy source.
Thousands of protesters clashed with police during the construction of the Brockdorf nuclear power plant in the state of Shihe.
Since the 1970s, plans for the construction of the Brockdorf nuclear power plant have triggered numerous police and civil conflicts.
"Nuclear energy? No, thank you!" has become a rallying cry for environmentalists.
In the 1980s, a new political party, the Green Party, emerged in West Germany. Its members are mainly leftists, pacifists, environmentalists and anti-nuclear forces. In 1983, the Green Party entered the Bundestag.
In 1983, Green Party politicians Gert Bastian and Petra Kelly were elected to the Bundestag.
On March 28, 1979, a serious accident occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, United States. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union, exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Radiation clouds spread throughout Europe.
The accident also marked a turning point in discussions about nuclear technology in Germany.
At the time, Germany was still divided.
In East Germany under the Communist Party, the public received almost no information about the nuclear accident and its effects.
West Germany, on the other hand, was in a state of confusion and politicians were helpless.
People were unprepared for a nuclear leak, and the government was unable to provide guidelines and response strategies for the time being.
A hastily formed crisis management team was also disbanded shortly afterwards.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident has caused widespread concern in Germany.
People are buying iodine.
A large quantity of fruit, vegetables and milk in the supermarket was ordered to be removed from the shelves because of concerns about nuclear radiation.
Children were banned from playing in the sand pools and citizens were warned not to go out in the rain.
Although the health effects of radiation were not detected in Germany, the accident led to the introduction of nationwide radiation monitoring in Germany, which eventually led to the establishment of the Federal Ministry of the Environment.
Plans to build a nuclear waste treatment plant in the Bavarian town of Wackersdorf have sparked serious riots.
The clashes left several protesters and civil servants dead and hundreds injured.
The project was finally halted in 1989, the first major victory of the German environmental movement.
And...
In 2011, protesters handcuffed themselves to the tracks in an attempt to block trains carrying nuclear waste.
Meanwhile, in northern Germany, Gorleben in Lower Saxony became a symbol of the struggle against nuclear waste, and the town was designated to temporarily store nuclear waste until a permanent storage site was identified.
The first shipment of nuclear waste arrived in the town on 24 April 1995.
A long farewell to nuclear power - Germany's nuclear withdrawal process after many setbacks
In 2001, Schroeder's center-left coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party reached an agreement with major energy companies to phase out nuclear power.
All 19 nuclear power plants in Germany have been given operating timelines and the last one is required to be shut down by 2021.
In 2001, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced that Germany would phase out nuclear power generation.
In 2010, the center-right government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel withdrew the nuclear withdrawal agreement.
It also decided to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants.
However, the third major nuclear accident in the world has caused a change in Germany's nuclear energy policy. On March 11, 2011, the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
The impact of the accident on Germany is even greater than that of Japan.
As a veteran physicist, German Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly changed her usual stance on nuclear energy policy.
Merkel suddenly announced that the era of nuclear power in Germany will end by the end of 2022. On July 30, 2011, the German Bundestag voted to approve the resolution.
After years of fierce fighting, the Brockdorf nuclear power plant in the state of Ishih will finally become history in 2021 after 35 years of operation.
In 2017, Germany decided to start a nationwide search for a safe place to store highly radioactive nuclear waste, with the mission to be completed by 2031.
At the end of 2021, anti-nuclear activists celebrated the closure of a nuclear power plant in North Germany.
Rethinking the nuclear policy.
The war in Ukraine has made Germany anxious to get rid of its energy dependence on Russia, which has also reignited the already ironclad policy of denuclearization.
The coalition leader has spearheaded a proposal to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants to replace natural gas from Russia with nuclear power.
In August 2022, CDU Chairman Meltz and CSU Chairman Soder both put forward the idea of extending the time limit for nuclear power operations.
Christian Lindner, finance minister of the business-oriented Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), immediately backed a return to nuclear power.
His party is junior partner in a centre-left coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens.
The latter will find it difficult to agree to an extension because opposition to nuclear power is one of their core issues.
But in the summer of 2022, no one in Germany completely ruled out that possibility.
LDP finance minister Lindner, who is focused on business interests, was also quick to join the pro-nuclear camp.
But for the Green Party, which is also part of the ruling coalition, the possibility of agreeing to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants is slim, because opposition to nuclear power is their basic principle.
Anything is possible in Germany in 2022.
Can nuclear power be a climate savior?
Editor: This article was originally published in August 2022
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Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.
DW.COM

- In the 1980s, a new political party, the Green Party, emerged in West Germany.

- In August 1986, the Social Democratic Party passed a bill to abandon nuclear power within 10 years, Germany terminated the development plan for new reactors, and power companies dared not plan to build a nuclear power plant.

Title:

Content: ● Talk from the beginning
In October 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed a embargo on countries supporting Israel with oil as a weapon. The embargo lasted until March 1974, when the global price of oil rose by nearly 300%, from $3 per barrel to nearly $12.
Recognizing the importance of stable energy supply and price, many countries have begun to develop nuclear power.
In that era, the development of nuclear energy in Germany and France went hand in hand. Both countries imported nuclear power technology from the United States, and both established independent nuclear power industries.
In 1979, the Three Mile Island accident in the United States did not change the Social Democratic Party's support for nuclear energy in Germany at the time, and then the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Russia caused a major impact on Germany's nuclear energy policy. In August 1986, the Social Democratic Party passed a bill to abandon nuclear power within 10 years, Germany terminated the development plan for new reactors, and power companies dared not plan to build a nuclear power plant. Merchants.
Overall, the passage of the Act did not affect the operation of the nuclear power plants in transit in Germany, with a capacity of 20,339 and 20,583,000 megawatts in 23 years from 1986 to 2009, and a further 22.9 million megawatts in 1989.
In other words, the ruling party in Germany recognized the importance of nuclear power to the country ’ s economic development and did not implement the nuclear abolition bill hastily passed in August 1986 under the anti-nuclear passion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Russia.
Obviously, the non-nuclear file, can only say, can not be done.
Non-nuclear weapons are a bargaining chip for political power
In October 1998, the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party organized a joint government and began to discuss a non-nuclear timetable with power companies. The Green Party, a small party with ideological leadership and national recognition of only 6.7%, changed the national energy policy through the power to gain the leadership of energy policies that are closely related to national security.
The assumption of power by political parties recognized by more people is the basic tenet of the operation of democratic politics.
When, in order to gain political power, different political parties used coalitions to lead to the opinions of the minority and hostage the understanding of the majority, is this the normal state of democratic politics?
Ridiculous, even more pathetic!
After numerous and varied threats, the coalition government and the power companies reached an agreement in late 2000.
The key point of the agreement is that the government will allow the units in operation at the time to continue operating until the cumulative generation of 2,623 billion kWh, equivalent to an average useful life of the units of 32 years (the power company originally expected 36 years), and that Germany will be non-nuclear by 2022.
The government is committed to ensuring the smooth operation of the nuclear power plant and the disposal of nuclear waste without political interference. In June 2001, the “Red Green ” coalition government signed an agreement with four power companies.
The agreement clearly stipulates that Germany will no longer build nuclear power plants and allow the temporary storage of used nuclear fuel at the site.
Based on the cap on nuclear power generation, a less cost-effective unit was stopped in 2003 and 2005, with a installed capacity of 640,000 MW and 340,000 MW, respectively, and it operated for 31 and 36 years.
In addition, a unit with a capacity of 1.22 million megawatts was built in 1986 on the banks of the Rhine. The unit was discontinued in 1988 due to anti-nuclear protests, and its power company abandoned the unit in 2003 to begin decommissioning work. Two units with a capacity of 771,000 megawatts and 1.26 million megawatts were suspended in 2007 and 2009, respectively, for 30 years and 25 years.
These two units are boiling water reactors, which are different from the mainstream pressurized water reactors in Germany.
Germany ’ s non-nuclear decision in 2000 was a pragmatic compromise that quelled the protests of anti-nuclear groups, kept the plant running smoothly, and provided the government with enough time to think about national energy policy.
An industrial leader reminded the government that reliable and affordable energy is an important part of Germany ’ s economic policy.
Opposition leaders in Congress said there was a chance they would change the decision.
The expectation of power companies is to increase the average operating year of all nuclear power units from 32 to 40 years, and then to 60 years depending on the situation of individual units.
● New opportunities brought about by the change
In September 2009, the new coalition government of the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party announced plans to withdraw the "non-nuclear policy".
At this time, Germany still has 17 operational nuclear power units, but one is in a long-term state of decommissioning.
If all the units can be extended from the original agreed 32 years of operation to 60 years, it is estimated that the additional profit of the power company will be 100 billion euros, and the government must take a share, let alone 50 billion euros.
Financial negotiations took a year to complete.
The new nuclear policy allows for 40 years of operation (an additional 8 years) for units that were negotiated before 1980, and 14 years for units that were negotiated after 1980.
The government pays dividends on the extension of nuclear power plants to the national treasury under various taxes, donations and surcharges.
For example, the tax on nuclear fuel based on the weight of nuclear fuel used is increased to 2.3 billion euros per year, equivalent to 0.016 euros per kilowatt-hour.
In order to supplement the development of renewable energy, we will provide 300 million euros each in 2011 and 2012, 200 million euros each from 2013 to 2016, and 0.009 euros per nuclear power generation after 2016. The funds will also fund a recovery plan for a waste salt mine that is disposed of from nuclear waste.
Germany ’ s policy of abandoning nuclear energy has officially turned a corner.
• Planning does not change
On March 15, 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the new nuclear energy policy adopted only four months ago was suspended for three months. At the same time, seven units that had been negotiated before 1980 were immediately shut down. This represents a decrease of 8,336 MW, or 6.4% of the total installed capacity.
In May 2011, the German regulatory authority issued a statement saying that after various assessments, all German nuclear power units are in good condition and there are no concerns about their safety.
Despite this, the German government announced on May 30 that under pressure from anti-nuclear local governments, it will return to its original non-nuclear policy and close all nuclear power plants by 2022. At the end of June and July 8, the German House of Representatives and the Senate respectively passed decrees to expand wind power generation in response to the shutdown of nuclear power plants, while agreeing to build coal-fired power plants and gas plants without changing carbon reduction targets.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient baseload power after the nuclear power plant is stopped, electricity will be imported from France, Russia and Poland.
It ’ s all about non-nuclear policy.
Some nuclear power plants have been forced to shut down, but the nuclear power plants that continue to operate still have to pay various heavy taxes according to the 2011 revision of the Atomic Energy Law. Tax rebates of €6.3 billion between 2011 and 2016 and the suspension of tax on nuclear fuel.
The nuclear fuel tax was abolished at the end of 2016. In order to avoid the nuclear fuel tax, the fuel exchange time of five German units was postponed to January 2017, and a total of 8 billion kWh of power generation was lost from mid-December to the end of February 2016.
After 10 years of litigation, the government reached a settlement with four power companies for a total amount of 4.8 billion euros.
This amount of money is the most direct price of policy repetition.
In response to nuclear waste, in order to maintain a stable power supply, the huge investment in power generation and transmission systems is a heavier burden on society.
In May 2011, the German power grid department warned that the closure of nuclear power plants will lead to insufficient baseload power generation capacity, and renewable energy generation facilities are scattered, and renewable energy rich areas and power consumption areas are at a distance, requiring transmission networks.
The lack of power transmission capacity will make the grid fragile and unreliable, and the stability of the grid is facing great challenges. In May 2012, Germany announced a 10-year plan to expand and strengthen the grid, with a total of 26 transmission projects, with a total investment of 10 billion euros.
Germany calls the policy of increasing the proportion of renewable energy generation and phasing out nuclear energy as Energiewende (energytransition), an appropriate translation is also our slogan, "energy transition"!
For the public, the direct cost of the energy transition is that household electricity prices are the second highest in Europe and the highest in Denmark.
According to statistics, in December 2021, the price of domestic electricity in Germany was 80% higher than that of France.
Electricity prices in Germany
The electricity market in Germany is completely liberalized, and power companies sell electricity generated by various forms of electricity generation in the wholesale market. The price of electricity in the wholesale market is open information, which allows power companies to obtain electricity from the wholesale market and transmit it to consumers through the electricity network.
Taxes paid by different types of consumers are also different.
Due to various measures to reward renewable energy, distorting the market mechanism, the German wholesale electricity price is lower than other countries, and sometimes even negative, 298 hours of wholesale electricity price is negative in 2019 and 139 hours in 2021.
The average wholesale price of electricity in the German electricity market is 0.03767 euros / kWh in 2019, 0.03047 euros / kWh in 2020, and 0.09685 euros / kWh in 2021. The average price in the first half of the year is 0.054 euros / kWh, rising to 0.1380 euros / kWh in the second half of the year.
As shown in the attached figure, the Russian-Ukrainian war caused a surge in gas prices, which had a huge impact on electricity prices in Germany; in July 2022, the high price of 0.3153 euros per degree was 6.4 times that of January 2019!
The price of electricity for domestic or small commercial use in Germany is very high.
Look at the price structure of electricity for German households.
Germany ’ s household electricity price in 2006 was 0.1946 euros per kWh. It rose to 0.3216 euros per kWh in 2021, and has reached 0.3714 euros in 2022. In 2021, more than half of Germany ’ s household and small business electricity price burden came from additional taxes or fees due to energy policies. 16% is a sales tax, 20% of the renewable energy surcharge is paid to the renewable energy industry, 6% of the electricity tax (also known as the ecological tax), and there are three smaller surcharges.
If so, why not in the first place?
In 2010, Germany had 17 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of more than 20 million megawatts, accounting for about 15% of the total installed capacity. In 2010, the total generation capacity was 133 billion kWh, accounting for about 25% of the total generation capacity. At the end of 2011, there were 9 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 12 million megawatts.
Compared to 1990, the total installed capacity was 1.3 times, but the power generation increased by only 11%.
Wind and photovoltaics account for nearly half of the installed capacity, but only 28% of the generation.
Nuclear power plant capacity accounted for only 4.1%, but power generation accounted for 12.4%. In 2021, three nuclear power units were shut down, and there are only three units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 4.055 million megawatts, accounting for less than 2%, and the total power generation may be about 6%. Can the economy afford to shut down the remaining three nuclear plants in 2022?
According to a news report on August 18, "Germany is facing an energy shortage crisis this winter and has planned to delay the closure of the country's last three nuclear power plants."
The decision has not yet been formally adopted by Prime Minister Bernard Shaw and may need to be passed by parliament. Details are still being discussed and a cabinet resolution will have to wait weeks for an energy demand assessment to come out, but officials believe the results are already known, according to three officials.
According to online data, Germany has eight decommissioned units that have not been in service for 40 years, and if the international consensus is that nuclear power units can be used for at least 60 years, the extension of these units can significantly reduce the dependence on imported natural gas.
It remains to be seen whether the shift in German nuclear policy will extend to these eight units.
● Other Mountain Stone
Looking at Taiwan ’ s electricity situation, the schedule summarizes Taiwan ’ s electricity data for 2019 and 2021, which can be compared with Germany ’ s data for 2019. Germany ’ s total installed capacity and total power generation in 2019 are 4.1 times and 2.2 times that of Taiwan, respectively.
The average capacity factor for electrical equipment in Germany is 30% and in Taiwan it is 56%.
Renewable energy cannot generate electricity all the time, and when the installed capacity is large, the average capacity factor will be low.
But there are other factors, in 2019, Germany ’ s natural gas installation capacity of 46 million megawatts, generating 90.8 billion kWh; Taiwan is 17.57 million megawatts and 91.2 billion kWh; the installed capacity is only 38% of Germany ’ s, but the power generation is equivalent.
Germany ’ s electricity grid is part of the European continent ’ s electricity grid, and data can be found on the network. In 2020, Germany exported 66.39 billion kWh of electricity and imported 48.05 billion kWh. About 20% of Germany ’ s domestic electricity production is exchanged with other countries.
If the exchange is not possible, it is necessary to abandon electricity when the amount of renewable energy generation exceeds the amount of electricity used or the capacity of the grid; when the renewable energy generation is insufficient, more dispatchable units are needed.
Renewable energy generation must be coupled with a power generation facility that can be scheduled, so that the power grid can be stable.
When the capacity of renewable energy installations is large, the capacity of the installations with the power generation facilities that can be adjusted will also increase.
The average capacity factor of German natural gas units is only 15%.
In other words, Germany ’ s natural gas unit is idle 85% of the time, isn ’ t that the cost of renewable energy?
When renewable energy must have a total installed capacity of 12.7 million megawatts (54.8%) of renewable energy (wind, light, water, and waste) with a capacity of 255.1 billion kWh (41.9%); the installed capacity is 16.3 times that of Taiwan ’ s 7.8 million megawatts in 2019, and the power generation capacity is 16.8 times that of Taiwan ’ s share is only 5.6%. Degrees.
From the number of renewable energy generation, Taiwan really can not be compared with Germany, but can we really develop to the realm of Germany?
Germany ’ s territory covers an area of 357,622 square kilometers, 9.9 times Taiwan ’ s 35,980 square kilometers.
Simply estimate the amount of renewable energy generated per square kilometer of land in Germany is only 1.7 times that of Taiwan.
In other words, if Taiwan ’ s renewable energy development can be as good as Germany ’ s, our renewable energy generation capacity can be doubled again! Is that enough? What does the rest rely on? Petrified fuels? Taiwan ’ s use of fossil fuels for power generation is 82.0% in 2019 and 83.3% in 2021. What should we do about the reduction of greenhouse gases? Energy can be developed, hydrogen is an energy carrier, not energy, that is, hydrogen production still depends on other sources of energy.
The Germans can ’ t take the risk, we don ’ t see it.
Germany's nuclear energy policy is all caused by natural gas, on the one hand, the source is cut off, on the other hand, the natural gas shortage caused by the soaring price of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels account for 46.3% of Germany ’ s electricity generation, and the rise in wholesale electricity prices has been alarming. The German government has revised its nuclear energy policy once again in order to spread the risk of excessive reliance on natural gas.
In Taiwan, fossil fuel power generation accounted for 83.3% in 2021, can the impact on electricity prices be lighter than in Germany?
You can't see that Taiwan Power Company is expected to have a loss of 200 billion yuan this year, and CNOOC is also in the tens of billions!
The government is afraid to adjust the price of electricity and natural gas for fear of affecting the election.
A few days ago, the media reported that the government has compiled a budget to directly eliminate the deficit.
Do they still have the law in their eyes?
If the government respects the results of the 2018 referendum on nuclear and green energy, and four years ago it began to promote the renewal of the licenses of the four nuclear companies to transfer and operate China's power plants, Taiwan will pay a lot less in this wave of soaring fossil fuel prices.
A while ago, the military exercise across the strait, it can be seen that it is rehearsing to block Taiwan, if it is really blocked in the future, our natural gas stocks can stand for a few days! Our government seems to be old in the ground is not proper, still clinging to the god of the non-nuclear homeland, refusing to open their eyes to see the latest international energy trends.
After Germany abandoned its non-nuclear policy, the only countries in the world that have used nuclear energy, only Taiwan has a non-nuclear timetable, China, the United States, France, Japan, South Korea and India, etc., are building or planning new nuclear power plants.
The Taiwanese government should wake up.
Those who pretend to sleep cannot wake up, so let us spit on those who stand in line with those who pretend to sleep!
With the election looming, let ’ s ask the candidates whether they support nuclear power?
If not, ask him to tell you where Taiwan's energy policy should go, how Taiwan meets the requirements of international carbon reduction, what to do when Taiwan is short of power, and who pays when electricity prices surge? (The author is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Systems Science, National Tsing Hua University)
※ The above statements do not represent the position of Wangzhong Media Group ※
# Germany # Unit # Electricity # Euro # Nuclear

- The impact of the accident on Germany is even greater than that of Japan.

- But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.

Title:

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How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
【 By Fu Guanqi 】
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Just after Christmas, for many Dodd families, the most wanted Christmas gift may be a heat pump to make the whole family better through the winter.
Unlike the tens of millions of domestic heating systems in Germany that still use natural gas or oil as fuel, heat pumps are powered by electricity, which can be seen as "reverse air conditioning", which has a higher thermal conversion efficiency and symbolizes energy access at a lower price.
The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.
The past dependence on Russia to import a large amount of cheap energy can not be returned, and the international carbon pricing mechanism is increasingly complete, which has led Germany to realize that only green energy is the way to reduce energy prices again.
The "Vision" team traveled to Germany, in-depth interviews and observed that the consensus that permeates German society today is: "There is not much time for the energy transition, and we must accelerate progress."
German Green Party MP Till Steffen, who visited Taiwan in 2022, told Visionary that "this' energy crisis' has accelerated the 'energy transition' and become a priority for the government."
German Economy Accelerates Greening, Renewable Energy Becomes National Security Foundation
This is not just a matter of paper. At the end of 2022, Germany inaugurated the country ’ s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Germany decided last spring to build it, and it could be completed in a few months. “This is super fast for Germany, ” Steffen said.“ We need to scale up renewable energy at the same rate. ”
If you make decisions at the slow pace of your past habits, you won ’ t be able to achieve the goals you set. ”
In the past, far less ambitious than the Green Party ’ s liberal finance minister, Christian Lindner, has also designated renewable energy as “free energy ”, emphasizing its function to enhance Germany ’ s energy security and economic independence.
In this context, the two pillars of the energy transition, "switching to renewable energy" and "improving energy efficiency", have also become the top priorities of enterprises in the country.
Even the German machine tool manufacturer MAG, a pioneer of Industry 4.0, has re-examined energy conservation and is preparing to install solar panels on its plant.
“Many investment plans are being reevaluated because of higher energy prices, ” explains Sebastian Schoning, MAG ’ s head of Europe & Americas.“ Many investments that were previously unprofitable are now justified. ”
Solar panels that can be used for their own use and can be sold for electricity have been greatly shortened, and with tax incentives, large and small businesses and families have been selling out; installation technicians are so hot that waiting in line has become a new normal in the last few months.
Yen Chien-ho, general manager of the German branch of FSP, which has been operating solar energy storage business for more than six years from Taiwan, revealed that the green energy product line is already the main revenue of the company, and it is estimated that by 2023, solar related products can grow by 50%.
Quanhan also saw the business opportunities of green energy vehicles in Europe and decided to set up a new R & D center in Germany to attack customized charging devices.
Another Taiwanese company that has been working in Germany for ten years, Servo Press Co., Ltd. is also favored by European customers due to the fact that the product consumes about 50% less power than traditional presses, and is expected to double its business performance in 2023.
Germany has been driving the energy transition for decades. The driving force of this energy crisis is mainly reflected in the change of mentality and the re-calculation of business interests.
First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.
However, when energy is no longer so readily available, it has also greatly changed the German society's view of energy: in the past, everyone saw renewable energy as a threat to the stability of electricity supply, and now it is an important basis for protecting national security.
Second, in the eyes of enterprises, green energy has become the only energy source that can maintain long-term competitiveness.
"We all know that there is no future for fossil fuels," said Markus Rosenthal, director of government relations at the German Association for Energy Storage Systems. He cited the withdrawal of Allianz, Germany 's largest insurance company, and the active investment of major banks in decarbonization technology as examples. The effect of greening the German economy is greater than anyone else. "
Many may have heard of Germany ’ s Energiewende vision after the Fukushima disaster.
But such a concept has taken root in Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement since the 1970s.
Since then, the Green Party movement has developed with the greatest political influence in the world.
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 1: Lack of work, insufficient capacity of Northern Power South
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which came into force in 2000, made Germany the first major economy to promote renewable energy.
Over the next 20 years, the proportion of renewable energy supply has grown significantly from 6% to 46%, and this remarkable achievement has become an international model case for promoting energy transformation.
However, the model of the period of peace seems to be unable to withstand the test of war, and Germany still fell into the dilemma of energy crisis in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine and the weaponization of energy are certainly uncontrollable factors.
But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.
“We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and the development of renewable energy over the past few years has been too slow, ” said Malte Kuper, energy and climate policy researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (IW).“ We must accelerate the correction of the structural errors of energy policy over the past decade. ”
Wilhelm Kiewitt, Director of Energy Economics at 50Hertz, a German power grid company, said: “We are vigorously promoting the construction of renewable energy, but we have not updated the grid infrastructure and have not ensured that the design of the electricity market is compatible.
As a result, the energy transition is not doing well. ”
Wind power located on the northern coast of Germany has so far been difficult to reach the industrial heartland of the south because the government has spent too much time coordinating with the residents of the south to accept high-voltage cables cutting through their beautiful landscapes.
The lack of capacity of Northern Power South has become a key missing piece in the German energy puzzle.
In addition, the political lobbying power of fossil fuel companies and strict regulations on onshore wind power have also slowed down the pace of transformation in Germany.
A few months ago, there was a demolition of nearby windmills to expand coal mines in North Wales. Although the efficiency of these windmills was low and they were expected to be rebuilt and upgraded, environmentalists criticized this as a retrograde policy in the midst of the energy crisis.
But the lack of urgency may be the key factor in Germany ’ s gradual deviation from its goal.
According to the German government ’ s 2021 forecast, all sectors, from energy, industry and agriculture, will not be able to meet the 2030 climate goals on the basis of current carbon reduction actions.
In terms of new technology, even if Germany began hydrogen energy research more than 30 years ago, it has not been able to enter the expansion.
Thomas Hilig, founder of THEnergy in Germany and a hydrogen energy consultant, pointed out that “we have studied hydrogen energy thoroughly and want to know everything. ”
But it may be possible to start expanding sooner.
Indeed, now is the time to launch the app. ”
The impact of high energy prices and increasingly extreme weather have become a reality in Germany, forcing the country, accustomed to sound and prudent action, to admit its mistakes and shortcomings and accelerate the progress of the energy transition.
The question is, is it in time?
Opening a recent German newspaper will find that a crisis is not necessarily a turning point.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99% of the total number of German enterprises, are struggling, and many companies may not be able to survive.
A survey of companies released by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in the summer of 2022 shows that due to high energy prices, 1 / 4 of enterprises have completed the deployment of production reduction, 1 / 4 have reduced the scale of operations, and the remaining half have not yet begun to act, and are still thinking about the corresponding steps.
At present, the German government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan, but Asha Maria Sharma, deputy director of digital services at the Foreign Trade and Investment Agency, believes that financial subsidies are only part of the solution, companies must think about how to use AI, data analysis and other technologies to save energy, in order to remain competitive in the future when energy prices are higher.
However, the resources and financial power of SMEs are not as good as those of multinational enterprises, and it is not easy to face inflation, interest rate hikes, the impact on the dollar exchange rate and energy prices, and to devote more efforts to long-term investment layout.
For example, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread, Alexander Krug, the public relations manager in charge of the Berlin Digital Center for SMEs, observed that about a third of SMEs were suspending or even cancelling strategic digital investments that would bear fruit in the medium to long term.
Moreover, in the global semiconductor shortage, many small and medium-sized enterprises are competing for similar chips with the government-supported renewable energy industry, as well as Germany ’ s powerful automotive industry.
In terms of money and resources, it is difficult to win.
Cooper said that in the long term, the energy crisis can be an accelerator of the energy transition.
But for an industrial powerhouse like Germany, which has a high proportion of energy-intensive industries, there is also a risk that “industry may decline before the green energy transition is complete. ”
Many homes waiting for solar panel technicians to install their doors also reveal another risk: lack of work.
“If you ask a business, what ’ s the biggest question about operations? Almost every time the answer is, ‘ We need people. ’ ”
Especially in the areas of green energy and digital technology, which are crucial to driving transformation, there is a particular lack of technical talent.
Many countries in Europe have a shortage of jobs.
However, in the manufacturing sector, more than 40% of enterprises in Germany are understaffed.
In comparison, France is less than 25%, and Italy and Spain are less than 10%.
Even the director of the German public broadcaster said recently: "We have to recruit people from all over the world... even the German level of the candidates is not so important."
As long as I work hard, I don ’ t worry too much that they can only speak a few words of German. ”
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2: Higher energy costs, the United States proposed a bill to reduce inflation and siphon off international investment
The evolution of the international situation has also made the adverse situation worse.
The European war is still raging, the epidemic is still hazy, and the tensions between the United States and China have caused Germany, formerly the beneficiary of free trade and international supply chains, to reverse the situation and increase the pressure.
In particular, in August 2022, the United States passed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, proposing a simpler and more attractive subsidy specification than the European Union, which is likely to siphon off more international investment at a time when Germany urgently needs to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
Some scholars wonder whether Germany will be able to complete the energy transition that it failed to achieve during a period of relative stability in the face of many challenges.
Only recently did Germany significantly expand public spending to help society weather the epidemic. To date, it has allocated more than 260 billion euros in response to the energy crisis.
This is almost 7% of national GDP, well above the EU average of 83 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Germany is still trying to boost its defense budget to 2% of GDP.
Even if the money is relatively abundant, it is also pressure.
Reinhard Biedermann, a professor in the Department of Global Political Economy at Tamkang University, pointed out that to develop enough renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources requires a lot of investment, manpower and even land, which Germany cannot do at the same time.
“The energy crisis is really an opportunity to expand renewable energy.
But turning the crisis into a turning point is not so simple.
Germany depends not only on imports of fossil fuels, but also on imports of renewable energy.
After the decline of the German solar industry, about 95% of the domestic solar cells are manufactured in China.
Nordex shut down Germany ’ s last wind turbine turnstile plant in June 2022, taking into account costs, causing observers to worry that the wind energy industry may be heading toward a fate similar to that of the solar industry.
Steffen said that due to competition from China, the German solar industry has lost a lot of intellectual and political power, and now is the time to reinvigorate the domestic solar value chain.
“We still have capacity in wind energy, but we can ’ t find a market in our country because Chinese products are cheaper, ” Steffen said.
In some ways, the energy crisis is just beginning.
As the Visionary team rode a high-speed rail at a speed of nearly 300 kilometers across the edge of Germany ’ s beloved forest, they were greeted by rotating fans, solar panels laid on the roof of the building, and high-voltage power towers that transmit electricity over a long distance.
This has gradually become a familiar daily scene in German society.
At this point, it may be seen as an important milestone in the final completion of Germany ’ s energy transition, but it may also be the starting point for the decline of German industry.
Looking back at the challenges of the pandemic, companies in Dodd all agree that agility, flexibility and flexibility are essential skills to survive in the current changing environment.
In particular, German industry contributes more than a quarter of the country ’ s GDP, which is higher than developed countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But strengthening the high-priced “Made in Germany ” brand with performance, quality and stability is threatened by higher energy costs.
Steffen acknowledged that many Dodd companies use cheap Russian energy to produce and then sell their products at high prices to the U.S. and mid-market.
This is similar to the common pattern in Taiwan.
Taiwan 's green energy students > risk assessment first, transformation needs to think about the overall order
Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer of Covestro, observed that energy is already a global issue and resource constraints are becoming the foreseeable future. “Even if you are in Asia, energy prices are still cheap, but price increases are reflected in the supply chain. ”
This advantage is diluted by rising raw material costs, even if Germany considers itself to be of excellent mechanical engineering quality. ”
Even if Germany has only recently begun to cope with the energy crisis, the effectiveness of the policy measures will have to wait for time to prove, and there are still lessons for Taiwan.
First, understand your energy security and independence and conduct a risk assessment.
Leonard believes that encouraging energy conservation by raising energy prices and using this income to invest more in renewable energy is worth considering.
“Explaining to people the higher energy costs they pay will help develop renewable energy and improve energy security. ”
Second, think about the sequence of measures for the energy transition as a whole, and put limited resources in the right place at the right time.
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a former energy transition consultant for Germany ’ s Future Energy Plan, shared that one of Germany ’ s mistakes was to set a good goal and vision before developing policies to be achieved.
A better approach might be to take a practical approach, clarify the quantitative benefits that each policy can bring, and determine that cross-party consensus can be reached to move forward together.
It is also important to continuously monitor the performance of data and to be accountable to all departments.
Hiliger observed that Germany ’ s national hydrogen energy strategy in 2020 shows that officials have learned from the siting of renewable energy and energy transportation.
“Many projects take production and consumption into account as a whole, for example, by making good use of existing construction, refurbishing natural gas pipelines to become hydrogen pipelines, rather than placing electrolytic tanks next to wind power plants. ”
Preparing businesses and citizens to move away from fossil fuels
Finally, it is the continuation of the momentum of social change.
In the past, Germany saw natural gas as a “bridging energy ” to connect fossil fuels with renewable energy; now, losing its main source of natural gas imports, it has had to restart coal plants and lease liquid-gas receiving stations.
After doing so, it may be harder to get rid of them in the future.
Ideally, when the hydrogen energy market matures, Germany can renovate this batch of liquid natural gas receiving stations into hydrogen energy receiving stations.
But the two are different energy sources after all, and the renovation will be another expense.
Whether it can be developed according to the plan is still uncertain.
After the government finalizes the energy subsidy policy, from the beginning of 2023 to April 2024, 80% of the bill will be protected by the price cap, and users will only pay 20% of the current price.
This will change people ’ s interest.
How to make good use of the incentive mechanism to encourage society to continue to promote energy conservation and transformation at the household, business and infrastructure levels is also a big test.
Although Taiwan, which has a higher industrial share than Germany, has yet to personally feel the waves of the European energy crisis, it will be crucial to be as prepared and adapted as possible to the future of higher fossil fuel prices before the price protection umbrella for long-term contracts ends.
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How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
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- First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.

- The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.

- At the European Union meeting in Versailles on March 10, the EU announced that it would end its energy dependence on Russia by 2027 (five years later).

Title:

Content: The Ukraine War Awakens Europe ’ s Energy Dream
The war in Ukraine has had a profound impact on the world economy.
It will, at least in terms of energy, food, strategic supply chains, finance and the world ’ s currency, international investment, and international big business, subvert the global imagination of the post-Cold War era for three decades.
The pendulum of the global historical process will inevitably swing back in the direction of “decoupling. ”
Limited to space, this is mainly about energy issues.
As the “post-Cold War era ” officially ends and traditional conflicts return to the center of the international stage, energy security is back in the spotlight.
In the Ukraine war, the warring side Russia is one of the most important energy supplies in the world, and the severity of the war of aggression has made it impossible for Russia and the European and American countries to maintain the post-Cold War era of “politics and economics ”.
The “weapon of mass destruction ” in Russia ’ s hands is energy.
Europe and the United States know that energy is Russia's most important export products, blocking energy exports can vigorously hit the Russian economy; but at the same time, it is obvious that reducing Russian energy imports will lead to a shortage of energy supply in Europe and the United States.
The United States, Canada and the United Kingdom can withstand this pain, the United States and Canada have announced that they will stop importing Russian energy, and the United Kingdom has announced that it will stop importing by the end of this year.
But Europe has become a soft spot for the Euro-American Asia-Pacific anti-Russian community, because Europe is too dependent on Russian energy.
Russia is the third largest oil exporter in the world and the second largest natural gas exporter, and Russia is far the first European energy supplier. In 2020, Europe imported a total of 185 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia, of which 168 billion were imported by pipeline and 1.7 billion by liquefied natural gas.
This accounts for 36% of total natural gas consumption in Europe.
In the European Union alone, natural gas imports from Russia account for 40% of its total consumption.
Such a massive dependence makes Europe ’ s energy sanctions against Russia seriously inadequate.
At the European Union meeting in Versailles on March 10, the EU announced that it would end its energy dependence on Russia by 2027 (five years later). On June 2, the EU announced the sixth round of sanctions, banning the import of Russian marine oil and reducing its oil imports by 92% by the end of the year.
But it is one thing to say, and whether it can be done is another.
Energy transition and energy crisis
In any case, the war in Ukraine has made the West suddenly aware of the importance of energy security.
Energy is the driving force behind the operation of society.
Energy security is a very important concept in the Cold War era when people were growing up. The oil crisis of the 1970s not only caused oil prices to rise, but even prices were not available, and the “spectacular ” scenarios of refueling such as long queues in front of gas stations can be found in pictures and videos.
Energy issues are so central to social issues, and even the anxiety about the “energy crisis ” in the literature and television works of the time is everywhere.
Remember the famous 1980s cartoon “Transformers ”, the core material of the battle between the Decepticons and the Boxers is the“ energy cube ”, and the two factions contended that “the one who gets the energy brick wins the world ”.
At that time, in order to stabilize the supply of energy, the United States changed its foreign policy and reached a so-called “petrodollar ” agreement with Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Arab world and one of the world ’ s largest oil reserves, to provide security and Saudi Arabia agreed to use the dollar as the only currency for oil.
The United States, with its strong naval power, provides escort for oil exports (shipping).
This system stabilizes the supply of oil from the Middle East and also provides “convenience ” for other countries.
After the end of the Cold War, under the globalization of free trade and global investment, energy production was internationalized, and many international energy companies held shares in each other.
The world rarely has a war that seriously affects the supply of energy, and even if there is a war, it is not to the point of death. The vast majority of energy-producing countries are focused on the economic and trade interests of global energy production, and they can usually guarantee the basic normal supply of energy in times of conflict.
Energy security issues have long been ignored.
In the post-Cold War era, energy issues were still very important on the international agenda, but “energy security ” fell back to the second line, and the focus quickly shifted to“ carbon reduction. ”
The rise of climatism in the face of the "crisis" brought about by global climate change.
Climatologists believe that: First, global climate change is the most important crisis of the earth, which will lead to the whole ecological deterioration, sea level rise, humanitarian disasters, and even human destruction and other tragedies; Second, the cause is mainly human carbon dioxide released when a large amount of fossil energy is used to cause global warming; Third, positive emission reduction can prevent the crisis.
Under this “three-paragraph theory ”, climatologists actively promote“ carbon reduction ” and dominate the post-Cold War energy agenda.
There are two ways to reduce emissions.
The first is to reduce energy consumption, which does not contradict the concept of energy security: less energy is used, and energy security is naturally easier to guarantee.
The second is the energy transition from “dirty ” traditional energy to“ clean ” energy.
It is this energy transition that has transformed the landscape of energy production and trade.
Countries that previously had abundant coal mines, such as Germany, had to import a large amount of natural gas because of the rush to phase out coal-fired power generation, renewable energy sources could not keep up, and there was a huge gap in energy supply; after the start of the electric vehicle revolution, the demand for electricity rose further, so the demand for natural gas was higher.
In this two-pronged way, the whole society is over-reliant on natural gas.
From the perspective of energy security, it is self-defeating.
Of course, Germany is even more amazing, even if it has not completely eliminated coal, but it has not dug up coal, and instead imported from Russia.
Another factor in Europe ’ s increased reliance on natural gas is the decline in the use of nuclear energy.
As mentioned earlier, nuclear energy is a clean energy source in the sense of carbon emissions.
After the Cold War, the share of nuclear power in Europe increased.
However, nuclear waste disposal and the safety of nuclear facilities have always been a concern.
But since 2005, nuclear power has been in decline: Europe ’ s old nuclear plant life cycle has gradually expired, and Europe (except the United Kingdom and France) has stopped building new plants.
On this issue, Germany is leading the European trend, because Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement is the most powerful.
In particular, after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, there were massive anti-nuclear demonstrations in Germany, and Merkel announced that all 17 nuclear power plants in the country would be shut down by 2022.
It is with Germany that other countries in Europe have accelerated the nuclear abolition project.
Nord Stream 2 highlights Germany's lack of big power
Germany, as a bad example, relies too much on “hostile states ” (Russia) in addition to abandoning coal mines and nuclear weapons.
The dispute over the North Stream 2 pipeline is best known.
Nord Stream II was a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea (alongside the original Nord Stream I).
Germany built this pipeline for two purposes.
The first is the energy gap, and the second can double the supply of natural gas from Russia to Germany.
Second, other natural gas pipelines from Russia to Germany have to pass through Poland and Ukraine, and every time Russia uses the "energy card" to threaten to "cut off" Ukraine, it will also cause Germany to "suffer", which affects Germany's natural gas supply, but also makes Russia's "energy card" scruples.
"North Stream 2" can greatly alleviate this problem.
International large-scale natural gas transmission generally has two methods.
The traditional way is through the pipeline of the gas pipeline, natural gas is continuously transported from the source of production to the destination.
The emerging method is liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is liquefied at the production site and then transported to the destination by giant specialized vessels to re-gasify the LNG at the receiving station.
The two are better than each other.
The early investment in the pipeline method is huge (construction of pipelines), but the operating costs are relatively cheap after construction.
LNG transportation costs are generally higher than gas pipelines, plus the conversion costs from gas to liquid to gas.
In terms of transportation costs alone, the shorter the distance, the greater the cost advantage of the gas pipe; the longer the distance, the closer the transportation cost of LNG will be to the gas pipe or even lower than the gas pipe.
It is estimated that at about 700 miles, LNG transportation costs will be lower than subsea pipelines, and at about 2,200 miles, LNG will be lower than terrestrial pipelines.
From the price point of view, Europe, especially Germany, is the most economical way to import from Russia.
However, this is only based on price considerations, and if you add the national security perspective of energy security, the consideration is completely different.
The gas pipeline model is a "binding mode", after the huge construction of the gas pipeline linking the two countries, it is difficult to abandon the gas pipeline, and can not use the pipeline to transport natural gas from other countries, so the energy will depend on the exporting country for a long time.
LPG is a "non-binding mode", as long as there is a receiving station, the purchase from any country is transported by ship.
For Germany and Europe, plus Russia, which supplies pipeline gas, is an enemy, and the United States, which supplies liquefied petroleum gas, is an ally.
During the Trump administration, Nord Stream II became the focus of the contradiction of virtue.
The United States believes that Russia is a hostile country, Germany should not further increase its dependence on Russia on the important issue of energy, Nord Stream 2 should be stopped, and the United States announced sanctions.
The United States also took the opportunity to sell liquefied natural gas to the United States.
The position of the Trump administration is completely correct. Unfortunately, the relationship between the United States and Europe is very poor during the Trump period, and the sanctions are too harsh.
In Germany under Merkel, there is also the argument that the United States is less reliable than Russia.
This enabled Germany to press ahead with the construction of Nord Stream II, knowing that Russia had annexed Crimea and threatened European security.
Under this trend of thinking, Europe has further increased its dependence on Russian energy.
In fact, since 2009, Europe has been aware of its deep and growing dependence on Russian energy.
Even after the Crimea incident in 2014, Europe continued to increase its natural gas imports from Russia, and began importing Russian liquefied natural gas in 2017.
The reason for this, in addition to economic costs, is also due to the continuous decline in natural gas production in Europe itself (the North Sea gas fields are beginning to dry up).
In fact, Europe has been anaesthetizing itself, dreaming that Russia, no matter how bad, can not prevent the normal supply of energy to Europe.
However, the Russian invasion has awakened Europe ’ s “energy dream. ”
(This article is excerpted from Li ’ s book “The Disintegration of Empire and the Fortress of Freedom: Historical Origins, Geopolitics, and Justice in Ukraine ’ s War Against Russia ”, provided by Eight Banners Culture)
Extended reading
Thematic book exhibition on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict
What do Chinese forces want to enter the United States in Beijing?
Cold and sad?
The link between climate and happiness
Bureaucratic zombie policies.

- Russia cuts off natural gas supply to Germany to discuss extending nuclear power plant life.

Title:

Content: Russia cuts off natural gas supply to Germany to discuss extending nuclear power plant life
Author: Fang Yimei
Published: Updated:
French media said on June 23 that Russia may cut off natural gas supply to Western countries, German people discussed extending the use of domestic nuclear power plants to cope with this situation. However, the views of all parties are divided.
Veronika Grimm, a member of the German government ’ s Council of Economic Advisers, said on the 23rd that in extreme circumstances, Russia cutting off natural gas supplies to Germany may cause the German economy to shrink by 12%.
She said extending the life of Germany's nuclear power plants would give the country some breathing room.
German government officials differ from Grimm.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that the continued use of nuclear power plants "will not work."
A spokesman for the German economy ministry said at a press conference on Tuesday that the continued use of nuclear power plants beyond the end of 2022 was “not an option at the moment ”, especially for“ safety reasons. ”
German energy company RWE currently operates one of Germany ’ s still operating nuclear plants. RWE ’ s boss said it was “too late ” to extend the life of the German plant until now.
He said that in addition to safety concerns, the limited supply of fuel rods is also an obstacle to extending the life of Germany ’ s nuclear power plants.
After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan in 2011, Germany decided to abandon the use of nuclear power generation, and the three remaining nuclear plants in the country will cease operation by the end of 2022.
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- Germany ’ s transport minister has called for the creation of an expert committee to examine whether the country ’ s nuclear power plants should be extended.

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Content: Germany ’ s transport minister has called for the creation of an expert committee to examine whether the country ’ s nuclear power plants should be extended.
The move also sparked disagreements within the ruling coalition over nuclear power.
Since Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, Germany has tried to break away from its energy dependence and sparked discussions about the use of the country ’ s only three remaining nuclear power plants.
After the 311 earthquake in Japan, the Merkel government appealed for non-nuclear homes, which were scheduled to be completely decommissioned by the end of 2022.
Prime Minister Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has tried to pressure the dispute between the ruling Green Party and the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP).
The Greens have been pressing for a withdrawal from nuclear power, but the transport minister of the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) has called for an extension of the plant ’ s life until at least April.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing said electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly unless they use zero-carbon nuclear power.
“We need an expert answer on how to ensure that we achieve our climate protection goals while having a stable and affordable energy supply, ” the minister said.
Critics of Germany ’ s withdrawal from nuclear power say it could force Germany to rely more on coal than expected during its transition to renewable energy.
Coal is more carbon polluting than natural gas.
The Green Party is strongly opposed to the resumption of Germany's nuclear power program, arguing that extending the use of nuclear power would be costly and that more could be achieved by developing renewable energy.
# Nuclear Power # Germany # Minister of Transport # Extension # Nuclear Power Plant

- But Haberke said Germany remains committed to scrapping its nuclear program and that all nuclear plants will be off the grid by the end of this year.

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Content: Germany ’ s nuclear power plant will remain on standby until 2023
BERLIN (AFP) - As Russia cuts off natural gas supplies and Europe struggles to find energy sources, Germany today announced a change in its nuclear policy to keep two nuclear plants on standby after a deadline expires at the end of this year.
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Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement that after the stress tests, the authorities decided that two of the last three nuclear plants, originally scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of the year, would remain in operation until April 2023 as backup capacity and could generate electricity if needed.
The move resulted in a partial nuclear exit plan laid out by former Prime Minister Angela Merkel.
But Haberke said Germany remains committed to scrapping its nuclear program and that all nuclear plants will be off the grid by the end of this year.

- Renewable energy cannot generate electricity all the time, and when the installed capacity is large, the average capacity factor will be low.