The unique popularity of corgis can be attributed to the historical bond between the royal family and the breed, with Queen Elizabeth II playing a central role in making them beloved worldwide.

The queen's affection for corgis began at a young age, and she received her first corgi, Susan, as an 18th birthday present.

This marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship between the royal family and the corgi breed, with the queen owning more than 30 corgis throughout her reign.

The queen's love for corgis was not only a personal preference but also a significant factor in the breed's rise to fame, with the media and the public often featuring and discussing the royal corgis.

The queen's corgis were not only pets but also working dogs, with some of them being trained for herding and other tasks.

The breed's intelligence, energy, and loyalty made them an ideal companion for the queen, who was known to be an animal lover.

The queen's fondness for corgis was also reflected in the way she cared for them, with the dogs having their own rooms and meals prepared by a chef.

The royal connection to corgis has been a significant factor in the breed's popularity, with many people around the world being fascinated by the queen's relationship with her corgis.

The media has often featured the royal corgis, with photos and stories about the queen's dogs being widely published and shared.

The queen's platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022 also highlighted the special bond between the royal family and corgis, with the breed being featured prominently in the celebrations.

The Tour de Corgi parade, an annual event that celebrates the corgi breed, also paid tribute to the queen's love for corgis, with a new costume category being introduced in her honor.

The event's founder, Tracy Stewart, was quoted as saying that the queen's affection for corgis was a significant factor in the breed's popularity, with many people being inspired by the queen's love for the dogs.

The queen's corgis have also been featured in various forms of media, including films, television shows, and books, further increasing the breed's popularity.

The breed's popularity has also been reflected in the number of corgi registrations, with the Kennel Club reporting a 30-year high in registrations in 2022.

The queen's love for corgis has also inspired many people to adopt the breed, with some breeders reporting an increase in demand for corgis following the queen's death.

However, the popularity of corgis has also raised concerns about the breed's welfare, with some experts warning about the potential health risks associated with the breed's popularity.

Despite these concerns, the corgi breed remains one of the most popular breeds in the world, with the queen's love for the dogs being a significant factor in their enduring popularity.

The queen's legacy will continue to be felt in the world of corgis, with the breed remaining a beloved and iconic symbol of the royal family.

In conclusion, the unique popularity of corgis can be attributed to the historical bond between the royal family and the breed, with Queen Elizabeth II playing a central role in making them beloved worldwide.

The queen's affection for corgis has been a significant factor in the breed's rise to fame, with the media and the public often featuring and discussing the royal corgis.

The breed's popularity has also been reflected in the number of corgi registrations, with the Kennel Club reporting a 30-year high in registrations in 2022.

Overall, the queen's love for corgis has had a lasting impact on the breed's popularity, with the corgi remaining a beloved and iconic symbol of the royal family.

The unique popularity of corgis can be attributed to the historical bond between the royal family and the breed, with Queen Elizabeth II playing a central role in making them beloved worldwide.

Title:

Content: Sunday, Sep 11, 2022

Annual ‘Tour de Corgi’ event to include new ‘Queen Elizabeth’ costume category to honour the monarch

“We all have a very strong affection for her as a fellow corgi lover," Tour de Corgi founder Tracy Stewart was quoted as saying

Queen Elizabeth II is seen walking in the private grounds of Windsor Castle, in England, on steps at the rear of the East Terrace and East Garden with four of her dogs: clockwise from top left Willow (corgi), Vulcan (dorgie), Candy (dorgie) and Holly (AP/PTI)

As a tribute to the late UK monarch Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at the age of 96 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland on September 8, after reigning for 70 long years, the Tour de Corgi parade — an annual event that celebrates the dog breed corgi — will include a new element this year that is likely to make fans of the British royal family and corgi lovers happy.

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It is no secret that the queen was extremely fond of dogs, especially corgis, from a very early age, and that she had been breeding them until 2018, when she finally realised that she may have to leave some of them behind after her death.

According to Country Living, the queen had four dogs at the time of her death: two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, a Dorgi (Corgi-Dachshund mix), and a Cocker Spaniel named Lissy, who joined the family only this year, in January 2022.

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In her lifetime, she reportedly bred 14 generations of corgis, and even famously declared: “My corgis are family.”

According to an Independent report, Queen Elizabeth‘s love for her four-legged friends was well-documented during this year’s platinum jubilee celebrations in the UK, when the sky above Buckingham Palace was lit up with images of the dog breed.

The publication mentioned that the Tour de Corgi parade this year — which has been taking place in Fort Collins, Colorado since 2014 — will include a “Queen Elizabeth and her corgis” costume competition, in “memorium and to honour her”, quoting the event’s organisers who shared this with a local newspaper ‘The Coloradoan‘.

This is a May 12, 1973 file photo of Queen Elizabeth II sitting with her corgis, at Virginia Water to watch competitors, including Prince Philip in the Marathon of the European Driving Championship, part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Tour de Corgi founder Tracy Stewart was quoted as saying, “We all have a very strong affection for her as a fellow corgi lover. I think it is just, you know, our dogs are such a big part of our hearts that it creates a very heartfelt connection.”

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The aforementioned event will take place on October 1, 2022, and will conclude with a corgi parade through the town.

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According to a Reader’s Digest report, the queen was fond of corgis because of their “energy and untamed spirit”, and the fact that her parents welcomed the family’s first corgi, Dookie, in 1933. Eleven years later, in 1944, the queen’s father gifted her a corgi named Susan for her 18th birthday. The pupper even accompanied her on her honeymoon, and gave birth to a pair of puppies in 1949, which reportedly marked the beginning of the royal line of corgis.

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First published on: 11-09-2022 at 07:10:45 pm
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The queen's affection for corgis began at a young age, and she received her first corgi, Susan, as an 18th birthday present.

This marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship between the royal family and the corgi breed, with the queen owning more than 30 corgis throughout her reign.

Title:

Content: Queen Elizabeth II is known to have had over 30 different dogs during her reign as the head of the monarchy until her passing last week, Thursday September 8th 2022.

The Queen who has been succeeded by her son, the now His Royal Highness King Charles III, was a big animal lover, but had a definite soft spot for dogs, and in particular, the breed Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

On the day she passed, Queen Elizabeth II had four dogs, two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, one Dorgi — a cross between a Dachshund and a Corgi — and one Cocker Spaniel.

Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set to fly children Archie and Lilibet to the UK for Queen Elizabeth's funeral

It has been confirmed that her two remaining Corgis, named Muick and Sandy, will now be looked after by her son, Prince Andrew The Duke of York.

He will look after the dogs alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York. Despite divorcing in 1997, they remain cohabiting.

The animals will live alongside The Duke and Duchess at their Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The change of ownership was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Duke of York.

Both dogs were gifted to the late monarch by the prince, and so will be returned to his ownership.

During lockdown, Prince Andrew gave Queen Elizabeth two dogs, Muick and Fergus. Sadly, Fergus died last May, and he was replaced with Sandy.

Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, posted an emotional statement following the loss of her former mother-in-law.

"I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years," she penned.

"To me, she was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce. I will miss her more than words can express."

Queen Elizabeth II was renowned for her love of dogs, and other animals including horses.

She began her love of Pembroke Welsh Corgis back in 1933, when she was first given a little corgi named Susan as a gift for her 18th birthday.

All of the subsequent royal corgis bred by the monarch descended from Susan, the original.

It is not known or publicised who will care for Candy and Lissy, the previously mentioned Dorgi and Cocker Spaniel.

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The queen's love for corgis was not only a personal preference but also a significant factor in the breed's rise to fame, with the media and the public often featuring and discussing the royal corgis.

The queen's corgis were not only pets but also working dogs, with some of them being trained for herding and other tasks.

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ABC Rural

Corgis bred for herding livestock long before Queen Elizabeth II made them famous

By Sophie Johnson
Posted

While corgis are synonymous with the late Queen Elizabeth II, it might be a surprise to know the tiny breed is still used as a working dog in Australia.

The Queen had 30 corgis as pets over her lifetime, giving the breed its international recognition.

But the dog has been used for centuries to herd livestock.

Jean Milnes herds south of Adelaide with her female corgi, Tirion.

"[Corgis] have been herding since the Middle Ages at least, there is documentary evidence of them herding back in about 800AD," she said.

"I just got into it because I thought this would be fun to do to see if she could remember what her ancestors used to do."

Exercising instincts

There are few corgi herders in Australia now, but Ms Milne is hoping the popularity will boom after the death of the Queen, returning the breed to its farming roots.

"I still have the conversation with people who think corgis are wonderful, associate them with being the Queen's dog, and don't realise that they actually have a job to do," Ms Milnes said.

"There is ... going to be an influx of people wanting corgis for the next year or so, and it would be nice if they did something more than just go to the dog park."

Her corgi trains for herding competitions.

"We should be doing things that … dogs enjoy as well," she said.

"They need to be given the opportunity to achieve things.

"I think it is very important in any breed to maintain what they were intended to do."

Big brain, little legs

National Welsh Corgi Council secretary Sadie Podger said the dogs were very intelligent, which was needed when herding animals.

"Years ago … the farmers found that these dogs are actually quite smart and adapt to their conditions that they're in and found that they were the better of all the cattle type dogs that they had," she said.

Ms Podger said corgis were known as herd heelers because they could nip the rear legs of livestock to guide and direct the animal.

"When they herd they can roll from one side … of the cattle to the other side with that, and then sort of directing the cattle to where they want it, because cattle can be quite stubborn."

"They're low to the ground so they can drop their head a little bit, and basically the hoof goes over the top of their head where a taller dog could get hit in the head."

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The breed's intelligence, energy, and loyalty made them an ideal companion for the queen, who was known to be an animal lover.

The queen's fondness for corgis was also reflected in the way she cared for them, with the dogs having their own rooms and meals prepared by a chef.

Title:

Content: King Charles Spaniel numbers are declining and the breed is on the Kennel Club's 'vulnerable list' - amid Corgi boom following Queen Elizabeth's death

  • Corgis have seen boom in popularity after Platinum Jubilee and death of Queen
  • Number of Pembroke Welsh Corgis registered with Kennel Club hit 30-year peak
  • But popularity of King Charles Spaniels is continuing to decline, hitting a low
  • Lovers of the breed are hoping sharing name with new King will boost the dogs

Interest in Corgis has boomed following the Platinum Jubilee and the death of Queen Elizabeth, according to the Kennel Club.

Numbers of Pembroke Welsh Corgis registered with the organisation have reached a 30-year high, the Times reports.

Conversely, King Charles Spaniels are continuing to see a decline in their popularity, with lovers of the breed reportedly hoping that sharing a moniker with the new monarch may give the dogs a boost (though the new king prefers Jack Russells).

The breed, which is on the Kennel Club's vulnerable list, hit a low in 2020, with just 56 registrations. This increased to 91 in 2021, but numbers so far this year are so low, it is likely to drop beneath 2020.

The number of Corgis registered with the Kennel Club has reached a 30-year high, with interest growing following the death of the Queen (pictured here in 1980 with three of the dogs)

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (as pictured) are doing well in terms of popularity, although their close relative the King Charles Spaniel (not pictured) is seeing a decline

However, it notes that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, the original breed from which King Charles diverged in the middle of the century, is doing well, with 3,772 registrations last year.

The original Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog breed was developed from toy spaniels. Popular as women's pets, they were also beloved of King Charles II, who was said to be so fond of his spaniels, he could not be parted from them.

Although Corgis were on the Kennel Club's vulnerable list in 2014, they are now one ofthe UK's most popular breeds, and the Queen is credited with boosting their popularity (pictured: Queen Elizabeth with one of her beloved corgis, Candy)

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi has become known as a symbol of British royalty thanks to its long-standing association with the Queen

Lovers of the ailing King Charles Spaniel may look to the influence the Queen had in turning around the fortune of corgis in recent decades.

The breed was listed as 'vulnerable' in 2014, and the Kennel Club credits Her Majesty's love of the dogs as the major factor in making them one of the UK's most popular breeds today.

Corgis, which have four short legs, a long snout and two huge pointed ears, are famous for being a symbol of British royalty.

HISTORY OF THE CORGI BREED

The word 'Corgi' is Welsh for 'Dwarf Dog', and there are two types; the Pembroke, which is the Queen's breed, and the Cardigan Corgi, a descendent Teckel family of dogs, which also produced the Dachshund

Pembroke Welsh Corgis originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales from the Spitz family of dogs which are characterised by long, thick fur and pointed ears and muzzle

Corgis are a cattle herding breed that can be traced back as far as 1107 AD, thought to have been brought to Wales by  Flemish weavers

They are the type of herding dog referred to as 'heelers', meaning that they would nip at the heels of cattle to keep them moving

The combination of their low height off the ground and the innate agility of Welsh Corgis would allow them to avoid the hooves of the larger animals

They were officially recognised as a native British breed by The Kennel Club in 1928, but Cardigans and Pembrokes weren't seen as separate breeds until 1934

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The Queen owned more than 30 of the sandy, short-legged dogs throughout her reign.

She was gifted her first corgi, called Susan, for her 18th birthday from her late father King George VI. Ten generations of her corgis then descended from Susan.

Her dogs were given the Royal treatment having their own rooms with elevated wicker baskets and meals of beef, chick, rabbit, liver, cabbage and rice being prepared by a chef each evening.

Sometimes the Queen herself made the dog's meals. But her late husband was said to have 'loathed' the dogs' yapping.

She left behind two dogs - Sandy and Muick - who are now cared for by Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York at their Royal Lodge home.

Muick, pronounced Mick, joined the royal family at the start of 2021 along with a so-called 'dorgi', a cross between a corgi and a dachshund, called Fergus.

Fergus, who had been named after the Monarch's uncle who was killed during battle in the First World War, died after just five months.

He was later replaced with a new corgi called Sandy, as a 95th birthday present from Prince Andrew and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Meanwhile Muick was named after Loch Muick on the Balmoral Estate.

Palace sources speaking to the Daily Mail previously revealed the beloved corgis were 'with [the Queen] in the room' at her deathbed when she died on September 8 at Balmoral.

They then touched people's hearts when they made a poignant appearance at Her Majesty's funeral on September 19.

As the late monarch's coffin made its way from London to its final resting place in Windsor, Muick and Sandy waited for the processional to pass, to see the Queen for one last time.

The dogs were seen waiting in the quadrangle with two aides before the late monarch was laid to rest in St George's Chapel.

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King Charles Spaniel numbers declining amid Corgi boom following Queen Elizabeth's death

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The royal connection to corgis has been a significant factor in the breed's popularity, with many people around the world being fascinated by the queen's relationship with her corgis.

The media has often featured the royal corgis, with photos and stories about the queen's dogs being widely published and shared.

The queen's platinum jubilee celebrations in 2022 also highlighted the special bond between the royal family and corgis, with the breed being featured prominently in the celebrations.

The Tour de Corgi parade, an annual event that celebrates the corgi breed, also paid tribute to the queen's love for corgis, with a new costume category being introduced in her honor.

The event's founder, Tracy Stewart, was quoted as saying that the queen's affection for corgis was a significant factor in the breed's popularity, with many people being inspired by the queen's love for the dogs.

The queen's corgis have also been featured in various forms of media, including films, television shows, and books, further increasing the breed's popularity.

Title:

Content: To the rest of the world, she is Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom—but to generations of corgis, she was always just Mum.

The queen’s beloved corgis have never been far from her side, ever since she fell in love with the breed as a young girl.

See Also: Royal Family Shares Throwback Photos of Prince Charles

The queen received her first corgi, Susan, as an 18th birthday present, and her 14 generations of royal corgis since then have all descended from the same line. Sadly, Susan’s very last descendant, Willow, recently passed away, marking the end of era for the royal family. However, the queen will forever be associated with the distinctive breed.

We’re looking back at her lifelong affection for corgis. Launch the gallery to see candid photos of Queen Elizabeth and her favorite canine companions!

The breed's popularity has also been reflected in the number of corgi registrations, with the Kennel Club reporting a 30-year high in registrations in 2022.

The queen's love for corgis has also inspired many people to adopt the breed, with some breeders reporting an increase in demand for corgis following the queen's death.

However, the popularity of corgis has also raised concerns about the breed's welfare, with some experts warning about the potential health risks associated with the breed's popularity.

Despite these concerns, the corgi breed remains one of the most popular breeds in the world, with the queen's love for the dogs being a significant factor in their enduring popularity.

The queen's legacy will continue to be felt in the world of corgis, with the breed remaining a beloved and iconic symbol of the royal family.

In conclusion, the unique popularity of corgis can be attributed to the historical bond between the royal family and the breed, with Queen Elizabeth II playing a central role in making them beloved worldwide.

The queen's affection for corgis has been a significant factor in the breed's rise to fame, with the media and the public often featuring and discussing the royal corgis.

Overall, the queen's love for corgis has had a lasting impact on the breed's popularity, with the corgi remaining a beloved and iconic symbol of the royal family.


Germany's move away from nuclear energy is part of their "Energiewende" plan, which aims to reduce the country's energy consumption and eventually exit nuclear power use.

The plan aims to increase the share of renewable energy to 80% by 2050.

However, the phaseout of nuclear power has led to an increase in coal-fired production and net electricity imports, resulting in a social cost of approximately $12 billion per year.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has further impacted Germany's energy supply, with the country relying heavily on Russian oil and gas exports.

In response to the war, Germany has launched two previously abandoned liquefied natural gas terminal projects, costing around €10 billion.

Some experts argue that Germany's decision to shut down nuclear power plants was based on false premises, and that the country should reconsider its energy policy.

In fact, a majority of Germans (65%) see nuclear power as part of the measures aimed at meeting EU climate targets.

The German government has been criticized for its handling of the energy crisis, with some calling for the extension of nuclear power plant operations.

However, the government remains committed to its "Energiewende" plan, with Environment Minister Steffi Lemke stating that the nuclear phaseout makes the country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste.

Overall, Germany's energy market is facing significant challenges in the wake of the nuclear phaseout and the Russian-Ukrainian war, with some sectors pushing for a reconsideration of the country's energy policy.

Germany's move away from nuclear energy is part of their "Energiewende" plan, which aims to reduce the country's energy consumption and eventually exit nuclear power use.

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Energy transition
Germany ’ s Energiewende is a national energy system reform strategy aimed at reducing the country ’ s total energy consumption and eventually withdrawing from the use of nuclear energy.
The German “Energiewende ” energy transition has become a new term widely quoted in the English-language media, and Germany plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 80% by 2050.
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The plan aims to increase the share of renewable energy to 80% by 2050.

However, the phaseout of nuclear power has led to an increase in coal-fired production and net electricity imports, resulting in a social cost of approximately $12 billion per year.

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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The Russian-Ukrainian war has further impacted Germany's energy supply, with the country relying heavily on Russian oil and gas exports.

Title:

Content: Geopolitics / Ukraine
The Ukraine War Affects Germany ’ s Energy Strategy
Russia ’ s war on Ukraine forced Germany to overhaul its energy strategy.
Berlin has urgently started the construction of two previously abandoned LNG terminals.
This is the subject of a field interview published by our RFI correspondent in the French "Chronique Reportage International" column on Thursday, March 3rd.
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In an interview published on Thursday, March 03, 2022 in Chronique Reportage International, correspondent Julien Méchaussie reported from Berlin that Germany, which imports more than 50% of its natural gas and relies on Russian supplies, is now forced to review its energy strategy from the bottom up.
In the face of the inevitable price increase, the people are very worried.
The original title of this RFI column in French was: [Guerre en Ukraine: les conséquences sur l'appropriationnement en gaz russe pour l'Allemagne].
The war in Ukraine: consequences of Russian gas supplies for Germany.
Below is a brief summary for information.
The German people are upset -
In a live interview from Berlin published Thursday in Chronique Reportage International, RFI ’ s French-language network, a passer-by said in German on his way to work that the outbreak of the war in Ukraine had caused a decades-old energy policy to collapse in a matter of days.
Rising energy prices are not good for anyone.
This is not good for the job market, which automatically leads to price increases for all products.
People will be afraid of huge inflation, and the impact on the economy is tragic.
Here, the RFI French correspondent pointed out that the fear of the passer-by interviewed represents many German people.
In Germany, which has a long history of importing Russian gas, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
The pipeline linking northern Germany to Russia via the Baltic Sea was completed in September 2021.
The project has now come to a halt. Nord Stream 2 declared bankruptcy this week and more than 100 of its collaborators lost their jobs.
There were signs before the war -
A well-known professor of environmental and resource economics called Germany naive.
He said that at the beginning of this winter, the wind has turned around.
Before the war, Russian gas exports to Germany had dropped to their lowest level in months.
Despite the record price, it is now good to see that this is clearly part of the overall strategy of the Russian side.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Economy and Climate Robert Habeck plans to increase coal imports.
The German Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises has called for an extension of the deadline for coal abandonment, which was decided at the end of last year.
Germany, now seeking to diversify its energy supply, will turn to countries like the United States and Qatar.
But the problem is that these countries are now exporting liquefied natural gas, and Germany has no corresponding terminal to be docked.
Experts interviewed pointed out that Germany is in urgent need of new liquefied natural gas terminals.
However, it takes three to four years to build a terminal.
Of course people can do it as quickly as possible, but this new strategy is not a very short-term solution.
We need to rely on existing infrastructure.
Once the new terminal is put into use, the sky should clear up.
Germany launches old project -
Abandoned two years ago due to a lack of political support, two projects to build LNG terminals in the North Sea have now been urgently launched at a cost of around €1 billion.
... and...
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In response to the war, Germany has launched two previously abandoned liquefied natural gas terminal projects, costing around €10 billion.

Some experts argue that Germany's decision to shut down nuclear power plants was based on false premises, and that the country should reconsider its energy policy.

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Content: You are here
Home > News > Germany lied about nuclear energy: expert

Germany lied about nuclear energy: expert

The German government misled its citizens about the possible extension of nuclear power plants, Jakub Wiech, deputy Editor-in-Chief of Energetyka24.com, wrote on Saturday. According to him, all indications are that Berlin’s aim was to close the units regardless of the risks.

He cited Simon Wakter, a Swedish nuclear engineer, who presented a series of materials on his social media showing that Berlin’s narrative on the nuclear issue was getting the truth wrong. As the journalist pointed out, Mr Wakter “has collected statements by German politicians and energy scientists from recent months, juxtaposing them.”

“In his reasoning, Mr Wakter cites, among other things, the German government’s key argument regarding nuclear fuel. Berlin claimed that extending the operation of the nuclear power plants was impossible due to the lack of contracted fuel rod supplies. However, according to Die Welt, there was a confidential meeting between ruling coalition politicians and representatives of nuclear plant operators in March 2022,” Mr Wiech wrote.

As he continued, at the meeting the latter stated that they were able to organise deliveries within a “reasonable timeframe,” however, Berlin took no action in this regard, going further into the narrative of being unable to provide fuel input.

“On exactly 8 March, the German government published a report listing the reasons why nuclear power plants can no longer operate. However, at the same time, those in power met with representatives of nuclear industry operators, who indicated solutions to the allegations made by the report,” Mr Wakter was quoted as saying by the journalist.

“As additional evidence, he points to a statement by a spokesman for Preussen Elektra, who says that the Isar nuclear power plant, one of the last three units of its type in Germany, can continue to operate beyond 31 December 2022 – and without additional supplies of nuclear fuel. Berlin’s argument in this regard has been shown to be a simple lie,” Mr Wiech wrote.

As he added, according to an opinion poll from spring 2022, the majority of Germans (65 percent) see nuclear power as part of measures aimed at meeting EU climate targets.

“So, as it turns out, the German government’s key arguments for shutting down nuclear power (lack of fuel and public opposition) turned out to be lies. One may wonder why Berlin is pushing so desperately to extinguish these units – despite the energy crisis,” Mr Wiech concluded.

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In fact, a majority of Germans (65%) see nuclear power as part of the measures aimed at meeting EU climate targets.

The German government has been criticized for its handling of the energy crisis, with some calling for the extension of nuclear power plant operations.

Title:

Content: Germany / Ukraine / Russia
Russia ’ s peace talks with Ukraine are unrealistic
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a government statement on Wednesday that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were unrealistic.
Advertisement
Schorz told the German parliament that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes in the possibility of a forced peace.
That ’ s why the possibility of negotiation is “very, very far away. ”
Therefore, the goal remains for Ukraine to repel the Russian attackers.
Schörtz also raised the prospect of a new strategic concept for NATO.
A partnership with Putin ’ s aggressive imperialist Russia is unthinkable for the foreseeable future.
In the current crisis of security policy, Germany has a very special responsibility.
It will expand its military presence in the Baltic region of Haiti.
According to Schörtz: to "defend every square meter of Allied territory".
Schörz thanked everyone who approved special spending for the federal defense forces, saying it laid the foundation for a new security structure in Germany.
Germany recently decided to allocate an additional 100 billion euros to the Bundeswehr to upgrade its armaments.
Schorz added that Russia is waging a ruthless war against the Ukrainian people, which is why Ukraine will continue to receive massive support.
This includes financial, economic, humanitarian and political support, as well as the supply of weapons.
At the same time, the impact of the Ukrainian war on Germany is also increasing.
Energy prices continue to rise.
Energy supplies could be tight in winter, officials warn.
As Russia has drastically cut its gas supply to Germany, German Economy Minister Hajbek is preparing to launch a national gas emergency plan.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt, the second phase of emergency regulation could immediately and significantly raise gas prices for all consumers.
Germany is facing a serious economic crisis, Finance Minister Lindner warned on German TV 2 about high energy prices.
At the very least, he said, the continued use of nuclear energy should be considered.
Governor Solda told German radio that it was "absolutely possible" to extend the use of nuclear power plants.
The government should consider all options regardless of ideology.
However, Prime Minister Schörtz of the Social Democratic Party expressed reservations about extending the life of the nuclear power plant.

However, the government remains committed to its "Energiewende" plan, with Environment Minister Steffi Lemke stating that the nuclear phaseout makes the country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste.

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

Overall, Germany's energy market is facing significant challenges in the wake of the nuclear phaseout and the Russian-Ukrainian war, with some sectors pushing for a reconsideration of the country's energy policy.

Title:

Content: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was an intolerable horror from the start. It has escalated into a genocide in what amounts to a terror campaign to subdue a people.

President Joe Biden was correct to call Russian atrocities a genocide, and even if the declaration is not yet official policy, it raises the moral urgency for all free governments to engage in meaningful and even painful steps to defeat a nihilistic and murderous dictator.

The U.S. is again leading the world in confronting a European crisis that threatens to become a global war. U.S. security aid to Ukraine during the Biden administration is now greater than $2 billion. Total European funds to the Ukrainian military forces now total about $1.6 billion.

It’s important that our European allies deepen their commitment to providing direct military aid. But the reality is that Europe’s greatest lever against Russian aggression has yet to be pulled, and that is dramatically reducing the German purchase of Russian energy.

There is no question that this would amount to a great sacrifice for the German people. Cutting off all Russian gas supply would send the German economy into recession. There would also be an impact on the way of life for Germans who rely on Russian gas to heat their homes and power their places of work.

But the corresponding effect on the Russian economy and the Russian war machine would likely be far more impactful.

Alina Polyakova, chief executive of the Center for European Policy Analysis, told us during a recent visit to Dallas that a German decision to stop purchasing Russian energy would alter the course of history.

“It would end the war,” she said. “They would just run out of money.”

The Russian war machine relies on direct payments for energy. Cut off the payments, and you cut off the money.

It’s simple in theory and excruciating in practice because of its real and immediate impact on people’s lives and nations’ economies.

Nevertheless, Germany has a moral imperative to take clear, positive steps toward sharply reducing its purchase of Russian energy, such as reversing a decision to shut off nuclear plants by year’s end. We are talking about ending a genocide, and, as Germany has recognized in its own laws and culture, the nation has an enhanced responsibility in this regard.

Ukrainians have fought bravely and have shown the world that they can defend their nation. But they cannot hold on forever.

Free nations everywhere will have to make sacrifices. We urge Europe to act now to support Ukraine, to help end the war and to benefit all of humanity.

— Tribune News Service

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Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a significant aspect of their desire to become carbon neutral, with the country aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and increase its use of renewable energy sources.

The German government has been working towards this goal, with Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke stating that the nuclear phaseout makes the country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste.

As part of this plan, three nuclear-fired power plants were taken off the grid in Germany, with the remaining three plants set to be closed by the end of 2022.

This 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.

The German government has assured that security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed, with Federal Climate and Economy Minister Robert Habeck stating that reliable and sustainably generated electricity is a central requirement for aligning the economy and industry towards climate neutrality.

The impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on Germany's energy supply has been significant, with the country heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas.

In response to the war, Germany has been forced to adjust its energy strategy, with the government launching two previously abandoned projects to build liquefied natural gas terminals in the North Sea.

The cost of these projects is estimated to be around 10 billion euros, and they are expected to take around 3-4 years to complete.

In the meantime, Germany is seeking to diversify its energy supply, with plans to import more coal and liquefied natural gas from other countries.

However, this has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact, with some experts warning that the increased use of fossil fuels could undermine Germany's climate goals.

Some sectors of the German population are pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online, with Finance Minister Christian Lindner suggesting that the use of nuclear power could be reconsidered in light of the current energy crisis.

Similarly, the state premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, has stated that extending the operation of nuclear power plants is "absolutely possible" and that the government should consider all options.

However, the German government has been criticized for its handling of the nuclear phaseout, with some experts accusing them of misleading the public about the potential for extending the operation of nuclear power plants.

According to Jakub Wiech, deputy Editor-in-Chief of Energetyka24.com, the German government's claims that it was impossible to extend the operation of nuclear power plants due to a lack of fuel were "a simple lie".

Wiech cites a confidential meeting between government officials and representatives of nuclear plant operators, in which the operators stated that they were able to organize fuel deliveries within a reasonable timeframe.

Despite this, the German government has continued to push for the closure of nuclear power plants, with Wiech suggesting that this may be due to a desire to prioritize other forms of energy production.

In terms of the impact on the German energy market, the loss of nuclear power has been significant, with nuclear energy accounting for around 10% of Germany's electricity production.

The shutdown of nuclear power plants has led to an increase in the use of coal and gas, which has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact.

However, the German government has assured that it is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

According to a report by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, the social cost of replacing nuclear power with coal in Germany is approximately $12 billion per year.

The report also found that over 70% of this cost comes from the increased mortality risk associated with exposure to local air pollution emitted when burning fossil fuels.

Overall, Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a complex issue, with both positive and negative impacts on the environment and the energy market.

While the shutdown of nuclear power plants has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact, it has also led to an increase in the use of renewable energy sources.

As the German government continues to work towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral, it will be important to monitor the impact of the nuclear phaseout on the energy market and the environment.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has added an extra layer of complexity to the issue, with Germany's reliance on Russian oil and gas highlighting the need for a diversified energy supply.

As the situation continues to evolve, it will be important for the German government to consider all options and to prioritize the use of renewable energy sources.

Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a significant aspect of their desire to become carbon neutral, with the country aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and increase its use of renewable energy sources.

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Energy transition
Germany ’ s Energiewende is a national energy system reform strategy aimed at reducing the country ’ s total energy consumption and eventually withdrawing from the use of nuclear energy.
The German “Energiewende ” energy transition has become a new term widely quoted in the English-language media, and Germany plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 80% by 2050.
Show more articles

The German government has been working towards this goal, with Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke stating that the nuclear phaseout makes the country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste.

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

As part of this plan, three nuclear-fired power plants were taken off the grid in Germany, with the remaining three plants set to be closed by the end of 2022.

This 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.

The German government has assured that security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed, with Federal Climate and Economy Minister Robert Habeck stating that reliable and sustainably generated electricity is a central requirement for aligning the economy and industry towards climate neutrality.

The impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on Germany's energy supply has been significant, with the country heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas.

Title:

Content: Geopolitics / Ukraine
The Ukraine War Affects Germany ’ s Energy Strategy
Russia ’ s war on Ukraine forced Germany to overhaul its energy strategy.
Berlin has urgently started the construction of two previously abandoned LNG terminals.
This is the subject of a field interview published by our RFI correspondent in the French "Chronique Reportage International" column on Thursday, March 3rd.
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In an interview published on Thursday, March 03, 2022 in Chronique Reportage International, correspondent Julien Méchaussie reported from Berlin that Germany, which imports more than 50% of its natural gas and relies on Russian supplies, is now forced to review its energy strategy from the bottom up.
In the face of the inevitable price increase, the people are very worried.
The original title of this RFI column in French was: [Guerre en Ukraine: les conséquences sur l'appropriationnement en gaz russe pour l'Allemagne].
The war in Ukraine: consequences of Russian gas supplies for Germany.
Below is a brief summary for information.
The German people are upset -
In a live interview from Berlin published Thursday in Chronique Reportage International, RFI ’ s French-language network, a passer-by said in German on his way to work that the outbreak of the war in Ukraine had caused a decades-old energy policy to collapse in a matter of days.
Rising energy prices are not good for anyone.
This is not good for the job market, which automatically leads to price increases for all products.
People will be afraid of huge inflation, and the impact on the economy is tragic.
Here, the RFI French correspondent pointed out that the fear of the passer-by interviewed represents many German people.
In Germany, which has a long history of importing Russian gas, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
The pipeline linking northern Germany to Russia via the Baltic Sea was completed in September 2021.
The project has now come to a halt. Nord Stream 2 declared bankruptcy this week and more than 100 of its collaborators lost their jobs.
There were signs before the war -
A well-known professor of environmental and resource economics called Germany naive.
He said that at the beginning of this winter, the wind has turned around.
Before the war, Russian gas exports to Germany had dropped to their lowest level in months.
Despite the record price, it is now good to see that this is clearly part of the overall strategy of the Russian side.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Economy and Climate Robert Habeck plans to increase coal imports.
The German Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises has called for an extension of the deadline for coal abandonment, which was decided at the end of last year.
Germany, now seeking to diversify its energy supply, will turn to countries like the United States and Qatar.
But the problem is that these countries are now exporting liquefied natural gas, and Germany has no corresponding terminal to be docked.
Experts interviewed pointed out that Germany is in urgent need of new liquefied natural gas terminals.
However, it takes three to four years to build a terminal.
Of course people can do it as quickly as possible, but this new strategy is not a very short-term solution.
We need to rely on existing infrastructure.
Once the new terminal is put into use, the sky should clear up.
Germany launches old project -
Abandoned two years ago due to a lack of political support, two projects to build LNG terminals in the North Sea have now been urgently launched at a cost of around €1 billion.
... and...
Email News Headlines In Your Daily News Letter
Download the Guangdong-France app to track international current events

In response to the war, Germany has been forced to adjust its energy strategy, with the government launching two previously abandoned projects to build liquefied natural gas terminals in the North Sea.

The cost of these projects is estimated to be around 10 billion euros, and they are expected to take around 3-4 years to complete.

In the meantime, Germany is seeking to diversify its energy supply, with plans to import more coal and liquefied natural gas from other countries.

However, this has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact, with some experts warning that the increased use of fossil fuels could undermine Germany's climate goals.

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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Some sectors of the German population are pushing to bring nuclear reactors back online, with Finance Minister Christian Lindner suggesting that the use of nuclear power could be reconsidered in light of the current energy crisis.

Title:

Content: Germany / Ukraine / Russia
Russia ’ s peace talks with Ukraine are unrealistic
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a government statement on Wednesday that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were unrealistic.
Advertisement
Schorz told the German parliament that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes in the possibility of a forced peace.
That ’ s why the possibility of negotiation is “very, very far away. ”
Therefore, the goal remains for Ukraine to repel the Russian attackers.
Schörtz also raised the prospect of a new strategic concept for NATO.
A partnership with Putin ’ s aggressive imperialist Russia is unthinkable for the foreseeable future.
In the current crisis of security policy, Germany has a very special responsibility.
It will expand its military presence in the Baltic region of Haiti.
According to Schörtz: to "defend every square meter of Allied territory".
Schörz thanked everyone who approved special spending for the federal defense forces, saying it laid the foundation for a new security structure in Germany.
Germany recently decided to allocate an additional 100 billion euros to the Bundeswehr to upgrade its armaments.
Schorz added that Russia is waging a ruthless war against the Ukrainian people, which is why Ukraine will continue to receive massive support.
This includes financial, economic, humanitarian and political support, as well as the supply of weapons.
At the same time, the impact of the Ukrainian war on Germany is also increasing.
Energy prices continue to rise.
Energy supplies could be tight in winter, officials warn.
As Russia has drastically cut its gas supply to Germany, German Economy Minister Hajbek is preparing to launch a national gas emergency plan.
According to the German newspaper Die Welt, the second phase of emergency regulation could immediately and significantly raise gas prices for all consumers.
Germany is facing a serious economic crisis, Finance Minister Lindner warned on German TV 2 about high energy prices.
At the very least, he said, the continued use of nuclear energy should be considered.
Governor Solda told German radio that it was "absolutely possible" to extend the use of nuclear power plants.
The government should consider all options regardless of ideology.
However, Prime Minister Schörtz of the Social Democratic Party expressed reservations about extending the life of the nuclear power plant.

Similarly, the state premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, has stated that extending the operation of nuclear power plants is "absolutely possible" and that the government should consider all options.

However, the German government has been criticized for its handling of the nuclear phaseout, with some experts accusing them of misleading the public about the potential for extending the operation of nuclear power plants.

Title:

Content: You are here
Home > News > Germany lied about nuclear energy: expert

Germany lied about nuclear energy: expert

The German government misled its citizens about the possible extension of nuclear power plants, Jakub Wiech, deputy Editor-in-Chief of Energetyka24.com, wrote on Saturday. According to him, all indications are that Berlin’s aim was to close the units regardless of the risks.

He cited Simon Wakter, a Swedish nuclear engineer, who presented a series of materials on his social media showing that Berlin’s narrative on the nuclear issue was getting the truth wrong. As the journalist pointed out, Mr Wakter “has collected statements by German politicians and energy scientists from recent months, juxtaposing them.”

“In his reasoning, Mr Wakter cites, among other things, the German government’s key argument regarding nuclear fuel. Berlin claimed that extending the operation of the nuclear power plants was impossible due to the lack of contracted fuel rod supplies. However, according to Die Welt, there was a confidential meeting between ruling coalition politicians and representatives of nuclear plant operators in March 2022,” Mr Wiech wrote.

As he continued, at the meeting the latter stated that they were able to organise deliveries within a “reasonable timeframe,” however, Berlin took no action in this regard, going further into the narrative of being unable to provide fuel input.

“On exactly 8 March, the German government published a report listing the reasons why nuclear power plants can no longer operate. However, at the same time, those in power met with representatives of nuclear industry operators, who indicated solutions to the allegations made by the report,” Mr Wakter was quoted as saying by the journalist.

“As additional evidence, he points to a statement by a spokesman for Preussen Elektra, who says that the Isar nuclear power plant, one of the last three units of its type in Germany, can continue to operate beyond 31 December 2022 – and without additional supplies of nuclear fuel. Berlin’s argument in this regard has been shown to be a simple lie,” Mr Wiech wrote.

As he added, according to an opinion poll from spring 2022, the majority of Germans (65 percent) see nuclear power as part of measures aimed at meeting EU climate targets.

“So, as it turns out, the German government’s key arguments for shutting down nuclear power (lack of fuel and public opposition) turned out to be lies. One may wonder why Berlin is pushing so desperately to extinguish these units – despite the energy crisis,” Mr Wiech concluded.

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According to Jakub Wiech, deputy Editor-in-Chief of Energetyka24.com, the German government's claims that it was impossible to extend the operation of nuclear power plants due to a lack of fuel were "a simple lie".

Wiech cites a confidential meeting between government officials and representatives of nuclear plant operators, in which the operators stated that they were able to organize fuel deliveries within a reasonable timeframe.

Despite this, the German government has continued to push for the closure of nuclear power plants, with Wiech suggesting that this may be due to a desire to prioritize other forms of energy production.

In terms of the impact on the German energy market, the loss of nuclear power has been significant, with nuclear energy accounting for around 10% of Germany's electricity production.

The shutdown of nuclear power plants has led to an increase in the use of coal and gas, which has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact.

However, the German government has assured that it is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

According to a report by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, the social cost of replacing nuclear power with coal in Germany is approximately $12 billion per year.

The report also found that over 70% of this cost comes from the increased mortality risk associated with exposure to local air pollution emitted when burning fossil fuels.

Overall, Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a complex issue, with both positive and negative impacts on the environment and the energy market.

While the shutdown of nuclear power plants has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact, it has also led to an increase in the use of renewable energy sources.

As the German government continues to work towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral, it will be important to monitor the impact of the nuclear phaseout on the energy market and the environment.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has added an extra layer of complexity to the issue, with Germany's reliance on Russian oil and gas highlighting the need for a diversified energy supply.

As the situation continues to evolve, it will be important for the German government to consider all options and to prioritize the use of renewable energy sources.