Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power was made in 2002, with a target of 2022, as part of its effort to become carbon neutral.

The country aims to achieve 100% green power by 2035 and be carbon neutral by 2045.

However, the shutdown of nuclear power plants has led to an increased reliance on polluting coal and natural gas, which may hinder Germany's climate goals.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has caused an energy shortage crisis in Germany, leading to a delay in the closure of its last three nuclear power plants.

The delay in decommissioning nuclear plants is temporary, and the extension period is unclear, possibly a few months or until 2024.

The decision to delay the closure of nuclear plants requires a natural gas shortage and no safety concerns, and may impact Germany's climate goals and carbon reduction.

Germany must ramp up renewable energy after the nuclear shutdown to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and achieve its climate goals.

The country plans to promote larger renewable energy plans to reduce fossil fuel dependence and achieve carbon neutrality.

However, the shutdown of nuclear power plants may have a negative climate impact, and the extension of nuclear plants could provide a temporary solution to the energy crisis.

Some sectors of the German population, including 61% of Germans, support the extension of nuclear plant operation, while environmental NGOs oppose it.

The EU has proposed listing nuclear power as "green energy," which conflicts with Germany's decision to eliminate nuclear power.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has affected Germany's energy policy, leading to a surge in gas prices and an impact on electricity prices.

Coal-fired power plants have resumed operations in some German areas, which may further hinder Germany's climate goals.

The German government has drawn up orders to reduce energy consumption and is considering delaying the closure of its last three nuclear power plants.

The extension of nuclear plants is not officially concluded in Germany, and the country is undergoing stress tests due to the war.

Overall, the delay in decommissioning nuclear plants in Germany may have significant consequences for the country's ability to achieve its climate goals and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

Germany's energy market is coping with the loss of nuclear energy by promoting renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, but the country still faces an energy shortage crisis.

The German government is seeking to reduce gas consumption by 20% to avoid a shortfall, and the extension of nuclear power plants could help to achieve this goal.

However, the decision to delay the decommissioning of nuclear plants in Germany may have significant implications for the country's ability to achieve its climate goals, and it is essential to carefully evaluate the potential consequences of this decision.

The country's energy-intensive industry is no longer competitive, and companies are shifting production abroad or shutting down.

Germany's energy regulator warns of a total collapse without Russian gas, and the country faces economic destruction if gas supplies run thin this winter.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has caused a global energy crisis, which has affected Germany's energy supply, with Russia's gas supplies to Germany down to a fifth of pre-war levels.

Germany can no longer rely on Russia for energy, and the country has triggered an emergency plan to manage gas supplies due to the dispute.

The country's energy market may collapse like Lehman Brothers, and 60% of Germans support restarting nuclear power to reduce prices.

Restarting nuclear power could cut Germany's carbon emissions by 25-30 million tons, but nuclear fuel rods may not be available by early next year.

The German Technical Supervision Association found nuclear power plants to be safe, but the country has given up on nuclear energy as part of its goal to become carbon neutral.

Germany aims to exit coal- and gas-based power by 2030, and 66% of Germany's electricity came from renewables last month.

The country is investing in renewables to mitigate the climate crisis, and renewables are the cheapest and quickest way to generate energy.

However, Germany's energy transition is hindered by a lack of grid infrastructure, and high energy prices affect German small and medium-sized enterprises.

The country has allocated over 260 billion euros to respond to the energy crisis, and the government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan.

The economic implications of the energy crisis in Germany can be mitigated through policy decisions and investments in renewable energy, such as expanding renewable energy generation and stimulating inter-fuel competition.

Germany's solar industry has lost intellectual and political power due to competition from China, but the country is still investing in solar and other renewable energy sources.

The US Inflation Reduction Act may siphon off international investment from Germany, which could hinder the country's energy transition.

Overall, Germany's energy crisis has significant economic and environmental implications, but the country is taking steps to mitigate these implications through investments in renewable energy and policy decisions.

Nuclear energy can help reduce carbon emissions and solve energy crisis, and many countries are reinvesting in nuclear power to achieve net-zero emissions.

Germany has phased out nuclear power due to safety concerns after the Fukushima disaster, with the last three nuclear power plants shut down by the end of 2022.

The country relies on coal-fired power after the nuclear shutdown, which is not a low-carbon energy source.

Nuclear energy is considered a green energy investment project, and the EU aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Germany's shutdown of nuclear power plants has sparked criticism over energy supply, with some arguing that nuclear energy helps reduce carbon emissions significantly.

The EU supports keeping existing nuclear plants running, and France plans to restart nuclear reactor construction, investing €1 billion in nuclear research and development.

Nuclear power generation needs to increase to 812 GW to achieve net-zero emissions, and nuclear energy can reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The EU classifies nuclear energy as sustainable under certain conditions, which could pave the way for reinstating nuclear energy production in Germany.

Germany will decommission all nuclear plants by the end of the year, and the country will rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity in winter.

Nuclear energy can integrate with solar and wind power, providing a reliable and low-carbon energy source.

The US has a $6 billion fund to support nuclear plant operation, which could be a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Nuclear power is crucial for decarbonization and energy transition, and 439 nuclear reactors are operating worldwide with 413 GW capacity.

Nuclear capacity needs to double by 2050 to achieve net-zero emissions, and global nuclear capacity should reach 812 GW by 2050.

Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants in 2023, and nuclear power contributed 6% to Germany's total electricity supply in 2022.

The country's last eight nuclear reactors generated 8.1 gigawatts of electricity, which is a significant loss of low-carbon energy capacity.

Clean electricity in Germany fell by 5.6% in the first nine months of 2023, and fossil fuel power generation in Germany fell by 21% in the same period.

Germany's electricity price is 160% higher in 2023 compared to 2019, which could be partly due to the loss of nuclear power capacity.

German chemical and fertilizer production fell to its lowest level in over a decade in 2023, which could be related to the energy supply issues.

Germany will rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity in winter, which will inevitably increase carbon emissions.

Nuclear energy is one of the least carbon-emitting sources of energy, and nuclear power has avoided 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Nuclear power is cost-competitive with an average cost of $60 per megawatt-hour, and nuclear energy has a high capacity factor of 90 to 95%.

Nuclear power is one of the safest forms of energy production, which could alleviate concerns about safety if Germany decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Germany is the only G7 country to abolish nuclear power, and 20 countries signed the Nuclear Energy Initiative to triple nuclear power by 2050.

Nuclear energy can help achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and Germany aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.

Renewable energy is crucial for Germany's low-carbon transition, but nuclear energy is not part of Germany's Climate Club initiative.

The US and France spearheaded the Nuclear Energy Initiative, which could provide a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Climate experts believe nuclear energy is indispensable to stop climate change, which highlights the importance of considering all low-carbon energy options.

Nuclear power can help reduce carbon emissions, and Von der Leyen stresses nuclear power's importance in the clean energy transition.

Nuclear technology aids clean energy transition, and the IAEA summit highlights nuclear energy's role in reducing carbon emissions.

France and Hungary plan new nuclear plants, which could provide a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Nuclear power is a low-emission electricity source, and EU countries have different views on nuclear power.

Nuclear power is the second largest low-emission source, which highlights its importance in the energy mix.

Germany is phasing out nuclear power completely, with plans to shut down its three remaining nuclear plants, as part

Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power was made in 2002, with a target of 2022, as part of its effort to become carbon neutral.

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 country aims to achieve 100% green power by 2035 and be carbon neutral by 2045.

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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.

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Content: Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war on February 24, the US sanctions on Russia have become wider and stronger.
European countries have responded differently to near-“ unlimited ” economic and financial sanctions.
However, there are dissenting expressions of resistance to Russian oil and gas, Germany and the former Soviet Union ’ s Middle Eastern and European countries.
In August 2021, the United Nations Committee on Climate Change released a report by 234 scientists, revealing that the inescapable and increasingly serious climate crisis is a common historical undertaking that humanity must face together.
This is an important warning to EU authorities who proposed the “European Green Agreement ” in 2019, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, based on 1990 carbon emissions.
As a result, the European Commission proposed on December 31 last year and hoped to list nuclear power as a so-called "green energy".
However, EU member states are clearly aligned on the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality based on their respective energy mix and sources of supply, but they are quite divided on how to achieve it within the EU ’ s planned timeline.
As this proposal creates a conflict between nuclear France and anti-nuclear Germany, the European Union ’ s rotating presidency (January to June this year), French President Emmanuel Macron ’ s assertion that “nuclear energy = green energy ” has exacerbated the differences between the two countries.
For the German government, "nuclear energy is not a clean green energy, let alone renewable energy", this view directly collides with President Macron's "to reduce carbon emissions, but also reduce natural gas imports, we must take the road to nuclear energy".
"Carbon emission reduction" and "carbon neutrality", two different paths of thinking, originally just the EU "storm in the teapot", after the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, US President Joe Biden publicly asked European allies to boycott Russian imports of oil and gas, the EU's energy policy has become an important issue for economic development after the epidemic.
After the Russian-Ukrainian war, the United States hopes that the world will jointly sanction Russia's oil and gas exports. This call, in addition to the United Kingdom's decision to no longer import Russian oil and gas by the end of this year, the European Union and NATO's European countries "excluding energy sanctions" show three meanings: First, the war may affect the safety of nuclear power plants.
Second, the different energy supplies and ratios of various countries directly affect the ability to cooperate with the United States to sanction Russia.
Third, the nuclear abolition of Germany and nuclear France, after the Russian-Ukrainian war, will make the European Union's energy policy, into a new stage.
First of all, there are many nuclear power plants in Europe; before the war, no one thought that the incident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 could happen again.
4 nuclear power plants with 15 nuclear reactors supplying half of all electricity in Ukraine.
Whether the escalation of war affects the safety of nuclear power plants is of great concern to European countries.
The situation is different in Switzerland and Belgium; five nuclear power plants have been decommissioned in Switzerland after the 2017 nuclear referendum, and one has been decommissioned in 2019.
However, in Belgium, where half of its electricity comes from nuclear power, the government of Belgium decided on March 18 to retain some of its power generation units and extend them until 2035 after the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Second, 30% of Europe ’ s crude oil and 40% of its natural gas come from Russia, and it will be difficult for renewable energy to replace it in a short period of one year, or even three or five years.
In Germany, for example, 35% of oil and 40% of natural gas come from Russia. Even if it comes from the United States (Texas) on the other side of the Atlantic, it also involves the construction of LNG (liquefied natural gas) receiving stations and the arrival of ships, and even a large number of super tankers above 320,000 tons, it is bound to not be the current Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Anteppt (Belgium, etc. All major ports in Europe can handle the load.
And thousands of miles away from the oil tankers and LNG fleet, itself requires a large amount of fuel costs, the arrival of the transmission line of the laying, also can not be completed overnight.
After the completion of the price of oil and gas, the cost of fuel transportation must be added, and for Germany, which is the first high electricity price in Europe, the burden of the people and the operation of enterprises will be seriously affected.
Finally, Germany, which insists on eliminating nuclear weapons this year and hopes to achieve 100% green power by 2035, is a complicated situation.
After the Russo-Ukrainian War, Germany stopped reviewing Nord Stream II, which had already been built.
However, there is no political feasibility without Russia ’ s “Eastern Gas Delivery ”, as the Green Party has a joint government with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, forced to re-use the policy option of coal burning.
Compared with the energy policy of France with nuclear energy as the main body, for Germany with a GDP of 3.8 trillion US dollars, even natural gas is only a part of the energy transformation, the pursuit of 100% renewable energy policy goals, in the year of total nuclear abolition, if it also boycotts Russian oil and gas, it will be unbearable for the economy.
The delay of the Russian-Ukrainian war, on the one hand, some countries began to think about the safety of nuclear power plants at the same time, on the other hand, due to the boycott of Russian oil and gas, will hinder the achievement of the EU's energy transformation policy goals.
And for Germany, which pursues "100% renewable energy (green power)" in 2035 and is Europe's largest economy, it is a short-term solution and may not be able to do so in the medium term, and the achievement of long-term goals still has a long way to go.
# Nuclear # Energy # Natural Gas # Russo-Ukrainian War # EU

However, the shutdown of nuclear power plants has led to an increased reliance on polluting coal and natural gas, which may hinder Germany's climate goals.

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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: 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.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has caused an energy shortage crisis in Germany, leading to a delay in the closure of its last three nuclear power plants.

Title:

Content: Germany To Postpone Closure Of Last Three Nuclear Power Plants - WSJ

(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2022) Germany, faced with possible energy shortages in the winter as gas supplies from Russia have dropped, intends to postpone the closure of its last three nuclear power plants (NPPs) in a move marking a departure from a two-decade policy to abandon nuclear energy, The Wall Street Journal reported citing German government officials.

The decision, which has to be formally adopted by the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and would possibly require a vote in Parliament, could be weeks off, but already now the German government says two key conditions have been met that allow a temporary extension of the life of the three remaining NPPs, currently expected to close December 31: the possibility of a gas shortage and the confidence that a longer operation of reactors would pose no safety concern, according to the officials.

"The reactors are safe until Dec. 31, and obviously they will remain safe also after Dec. 31," the WSJ quoted a senior official as saying.

Scholz last week said for the first time that it could make sense to keep Germany's last three nuclear reactors online.

However, even if the life of the three German NPPs is extended, this will not be a panacea for Germany's looming energy crisis this winter as the country is mainly missing natural gas, primarily used for heating and manufacturing.

The European Union has been seeking to diversify energy imports and reduce dependence on Russia after Moscow started its special military operation in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly said that Russia has never used gas supplies to punish anyone, but sells energy solely in its own interests, to increase the welfare of Russians and on a commercial basis.

The German government has also outlined measures to reduce gas and power consumption in the country over the next two years. The measures in particular include lowering the temperature in public buildings. According to Germany's energy regulator, gas consumption will have to be cut by 20 percent if Germany wants to avoid a gas shortfall during this coming winter and next winter.

The three officials who spoke to the WSJ said the extension of the NPPs' life would only be made for several months.

The power plants in question are Isar 2 in the southern state of Bavaria, Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Wurttemberg and Emsland in Lower Saxony. They are operated, respectively, by E.On SE, EnBW AG, and RWE AG.

After the start of Russia's special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine, the West has stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia, which has led to an increase in prices for energy and food in Europe and the United States.

Title:

Content: Germany ’ s last three nuclear power plants may be delayed
In light of the potential energy crisis in Europe in the winter, officials revealed that Germany intends to delay the decommissioning of the last three nuclear plants in the country, although it will only temporarily prolong the life of the plants, but it marks the first time that Germany has deviated from the energy policy introduced in the millennium and has so far been enshrined by almost all parties.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) quoted senior officials as saying that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has not yet formally adopted the proposal to delay the discharge, and if it is decided to do so, there are technical and legal issues, including passing through parliament.
The cabinet is currently discussing some details, and while it will have to wait for the results of the energy demand assessment in the coming weeks to come to a conclusion, officials have revealed that everything is almost a foregone conclusion.
The last three nuclear plants in Germany were due to be decommissioned on December 31, and the government reportedly believes that a temporary delay would require two conditions: Germany is likely to suffer from a natural gas shortage and there are no safety concerns about keeping nuclear reactors in operation.
The shift in German policy underscores the shock of Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine to European political circles, especially Germany, which has been closely tied to Russia ’ s economy and has long relied on Russian gas supplies.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he began to increase military spending, send weapons to Ukraine, break years of pacifism, supply arms to conflict zones, the latest energy policy shift, and involve the almost sacred issue of “nuclear abolition ” in German politics.
The German economy ministry, which dominates energy policy, declined to comment on the report, saying only that it all depends on the outcome of an assessment of Germany ’ s energy needs.
The remaining three nuclear power plants account for about 6% of Germany's electricity generation, and if they continue to supply power, they will not have to use natural gas or coal-fired power to fill the gap, allowing some areas to continue to have natural gas.
In some parts of Germany, huge coal-fired power plants have resumed operations in response to a potential power outage from a Russian supply cut in June, disrupting Germany ’ s progress so far in reducing carbon and fighting air pollution.
The German government has drawn up two executive orders on how to reduce natural gas and energy consumption over the next two years.
Energy authorities estimate that Germany will need to reduce its use of natural gas by 20% in order to avoid a shortage of natural gas this winter and next.
It is unclear when the German authorities may extend the discharge period, with some officials offering a few months, but the ruling Liberal Democrats believe it should be extended to 2024.
Extended reading
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The delay in decommissioning nuclear plants is temporary, and the extension period is unclear, possibly a few months or until 2024.

The decision to delay the closure of nuclear plants requires a natural gas shortage and no safety concerns, and may impact Germany's climate goals and carbon reduction.

Germany must ramp up renewable energy after the nuclear shutdown to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and achieve its climate goals.

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: Freedom Square, "Nuclear Power Extension" News
◎ Chen Bingheng
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that in response to the problem of natural gas supply caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war, Germany decided to extend the service of the only three nuclear power plants, and the Chinese media also quoted this report, but is it really true?
In fact, after the Wall Street Journal reported, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action issued a press release saying: The Wall Street Journal report is not true; how Germany 's nuclear power policy is still undergoing stress tests in response to the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Emergency situation.
Nuclear power plants that have entered the decommissioning stage, whether they can be extended in terms of plant operations, finance and peripheral decommissioning work, Germany has not yet reached an official conclusion, and the assessment is Germany's emergency response to the Russo-Ukrainian war, and the general ten years of calculation, the real nuclear power extension plan is not the same.
On the contrary, another press release from the ministry is more worthy of reference: Germany has decided to promote a larger renewable energy plan, promoting renewable energy at three times the current rate, and gradually moving away from dependence on fossil fuels.
The situation in the Taiwan Strait is tense, and some people advocate that nuclear power should be extended.
In the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainian nuclear power plant was affected by artillery fire, and the risk of nuclear disaster is of great concern. If the Chinese military "stay on the island without leaving people", which has been popular in the past, the nuclear power plant will be a hidden worry for our country if there is a war.
Some people also advocate that if there is a conflict between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the Taiwan Strait is blocked, it must rely on nuclear power supply, and forget that in the past, it is only the case that the power tower has collapsed due to a typhoon, and the nuclear power plant will be shut down to protect itself.
If the power grid is affected in the war, even if there is nuclear power, it will not be able to generate electricity.
In the face of the situation in the Taiwan Strait, instead of waiting for the old nuclear power plants to be extended, it is better to actively develop renewable energy, smart grid and energy storage equipment to cope with various extreme weather and potential military crises.
Moreover, the introduction of a large amount of international investment will make countries pay more attention to the situation of Taiwan, or may form the effect of a second mountain of national protection.
Finally, in addition to energy security and carbon reduction efforts, we should also find ways to allow rural areas and ordinary families of indigenous tribes to benefit from green energy, and at the same time promote local creativity in our country.
(The author is the former vice president of the Renewable Energy Alliance)
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The country plans to promote larger renewable energy plans to reduce fossil fuel dependence and achieve carbon neutrality.

However, the shutdown of nuclear power plants may have a negative climate impact, and the extension of nuclear plants could provide a temporary solution to the energy crisis.

Title:

Content: “Green washing. ”
Europe forced to drop its green ratings | Politics and economics | In-depth analysis with a broader perspective than DW | DW | 09.07.2022
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"Green laundry."
Europe is forced to fall back on its environmentally-friendly ratings
In a remarkable development, the European Parliament approved the green marks for energy investments including gas and nuclear amid an unprecedented energy crisis following the Russian aggression on Ukraine, a decision with significant repercussions, according to German and European experts.
The Dukovani Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant near the village of Dukovani in the Czech Republic.
The European Parliament (6 July 2022) approved a resolution classifying investments in the gas and nuclear sectors as sustainable green energy, under the EU ’ s classification of public funding for green projects.
The decision comes in the context of directing the investments of the continental bloc to achieve its climate goals by 2050, namely the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions.
A major attempt to block the proposal failed to garner the 353 votes needed to oppose the bill, with only 328 lawmakers voting against.
The bill has been sharply criticized by environmental protection organizations and some EU lawmakers for what they called a “green wash ” of fossil and nuclear energy investments since it was proposed by the European Commission late last year, saying it misled European consumers about corporate environmental practices or the environmental benefits of a product or service.
Some opponents of this shift in European policy fear the bloc ’ s increased reliance on Russian energy imports.
The German newspaper Rheinische Zeitung, published in Koblenz (6 July 2022), wrote that the European decision does not necessarily mean “a political commitment to relying more on nuclear or gas power in the climate crisis nor redirecting public investment to the era of nuclear or fossil energy. ”
The resolution ’ s obtaining a clear majority in the European Parliament, which was almost unanimously calling for an immediate exit from Russian gas, also has to do with the nervousness of MPs.
"They have just been under tremendous pressure from environmental groups against the label, but at the same time they expect greater social pressure from the general public in the fall."
The new measures are expected to take effect from 2023 unless EU member states object to them in the coming weeks.
Germany has already declared its opposition to the proposal, while Austria and Luxembourg have said they will file a case against the new law with the European Court of Justice.
watch video 37: 37
Europe is looking for alternatives to Russian gas.
Where did you get to?
Arguments of supporters and opponents of the new classification
Supporters of the new resolution argue that refusing to classify gas and nuclear power as "sustainable" would necessarily lead to higher energy prices, thereby hampering efforts to ditch more environmentally damaging coal.
A group of conservative European MPs stated in a statement that “nuclear power, for example, can provide stable and affordable energy supplies and reduce emissions quickly if given adequate access to the necessary capital. ”
The German news agency dpa reported that environmental activist Greta Thunberg criticized the European move in a tweet, saying it “will delay the truly sustainable transition that is so desperately needed. ”
The hypocrisy is blatant, but unfortunately it is not surprising. ”
The Commission of the European Union believes that this decision will be temporary because it is necessary to pass a transition phase, considering that gas is a fossil energy that many EU countries need to lead and manage their energy transition projects.
The Stuttgart-Zeitung newspaper (July 6) wrote that as long as the electricity produced by nuclear power plants cannot be replaced in a climate-friendly manner, shutting them down will have a negative impact on the climate.
In Germany, where a greater proportion of electricity is produced from coal, this substitution is damaging to the climate.
But that doesn ’ t stop Germany from moving forward with its projects to phase out nuclear power. ”
Despite all attempts, opponents of the project in the European Parliament failed to stop the legal action on the new classification.
Berlin has rejected the new European classification.
The German government has been quick to criticize the European Parliament ’ s decision, rejecting the classification of nuclear energy investments as climate-friendly.
In this regard, government spokesman Steffen Hipschtwright (July 6) stressed that "Berlin, regardless of the outcome of the vote, will remain in its position and will consider nuclear energy unsustainable."
However, it is still theoretically possible to prevent the implementation of these plans if at least 20 member states agree to represent at least 65% of the EU population by July 11, which is unlikely.
The German government has ruled out any legal action, with Hipschtwright saying: "We do not consider filing a lawsuit to be the appropriate course of action."
watch video 26: 06
Made in Germany - Global Challenges: War and Environmental Protection
Neue Tsurikhe Zeitung (June 6) went in another direction and showed flexibility in understanding the European decision; “There is a great risk that German industry will also fall back (on climate targets) if the EU changes sustainability standards, but the existence of different labels is not a market failure, but reflects that sustainability can be understood in different ways.
Anyone who manipulates information about sustainable investments should also take into account the discontent of consumer protection groups and the media as well as unfair competition. ”
Europe's inability to guarantee its energy security
In the context of the repercussions of the Russian aggression on Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (July 6) stressed that the continental bloc must "prepare for further disruptions in gas supplies, and even a complete interruption by Russia."
The Commission is expected to unveil an emergency plan for energy supply security on July 20.
Von der Leyen added: "We must support European solidarity.
"We need to protect the single market (in the EU) as well as the supply chains of the industry."
The Czech Presidency of the European Union announced in a tweet that it had called for an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers on July 26, following the Commission ’ s plan, and that the aim was “primarily to work on joint European projects that will free us from our dependence on Russia. ”
The continental bloc has launched a €300 billion plan to ease its dependence on Russian fossil fuel supplies while investing heavily to shift the market towards renewables.
The Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel (July 6) presented the predicament of the German model in the European context, writing: "Germany on average has a large industrial sector and for this reason lives in a high level of luxury.
Short-term gas replacement is almost impossible, but more effective and efficient use can be achieved.
This is evidenced by the consumption of gas in the first five months of this year, after adjusting consumer behavior by lowering temperatures, consumption decreased by about ten percent compared to last year, "so the high price motivates consumers to save and innovate among those involved in the sector.
The Paris-based International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers is pessimistic about when to get out of Europe ’ s worst energy crisis.
Vincent Demory, secretary-general of the group, said: "We may cross the coming winter without much damage.
But the winter that follows is likely to be more difficult, and the winter that follows. ”
Good weather last winter enabled Europe to have larger than expected gas reserves for heating in the coming winter season, but gas prices continue to rise in winter markets.
Austria and Luxembourg file suit against new classification
If Germany has announced that it will not go to court, Austria and Luxembourg have confirmed their intention to proceed with legal proceedings against the new European classification.
The German news agency dpa reported that Luxembourg ’ s energy minister Claude Torms confirmed in a tweet that the two countries would go ahead with legal proceedings, while his Austrian counterpart Leonor Gossler tweeted that Austria would file a lawsuit to overturn the decision with the European Court of Justice once the so-called “green washing program ” went into effect.
She added that she would work to mobilize more allies to participate in the lawsuit.
Gossler said the decision "puts our future at risk, and it is more than a reckless decision."
Germany has ruled out judicial recourse, with government spokesman Steffen Hipschtwright saying: "We do not consider filing a lawsuit to be the appropriate course of action."
Germany is under pressure from partners such as the Netherlands, which has asked it to continue operating nuclear power plants to cope with the current crisis, but Berlin is unlikely to respond.
According to Bloomberg (July 7), Dutch Minister of Climate and Energy Policy Rob Gettin has made the request to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Electricity prices have skyrocketed after Russia cut natural gas supplies to several countries in response to sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.
German channel 1 ’ s Tageschau website wrote a warning (July 6): “Those who now want to invest their money in nuclear power plants should allow the question of whether they have already understood the essence of the problem at all about Europe ’ s 2050 climate neutrality targets?
It is not about replacing the evil of carbon dioxide that poisons the climate, another human being. The radiation of nuclear waste persists over thousands of years, not indirectly destroying life through warming, but directly through radioactivity. ”
Hassan Zinind

Some sectors of the German population, including 61% of Germans, support the extension of nuclear plant operation, while environmental NGOs oppose it.

Title:

Content: According to EurActiv on July 20, in response to the gas shortage, the EU Commission has proposed a natural gas conservation plan, which will be careful to avoid blaming any EU country when it comes to delaying the “phase-out ” of nuclear power plants, a particularly sensitive issue for Germany.
Germany ’ s nuclear program was first planned in the early 2000s, when the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Green Party coalition decided to phase out nuclear power.
Japan ’ s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led then-pro-nuclear Prime Minister Angela Merkel, who was pushing for the withdrawal of plans to phase out nuclear power, to end nuclear power under pressure and plan to shut down all nuclear plants by 2022.
However, in early July, Thierry Breton, the European Union ’ s executive member for internal markets, said bluntly: “It ’ s important that the three German nuclear plants still in operation continue to operate for a while. ” Energy comes with a problem.
Even Elon Musk, CEO of US electric car maker Tesla, tweeted: “They should keep running. ”
“If the government wants, we can keep the NPP Isar 2 nuclear power plant running longer than the end of the year, ” says plant operator Preussen Electra. In addition, previous reports by safety certification body TÜV Süd indicate that the plant ’ s continued operation does not pose a safety risk.
A poll of Germans conducted by ARD on 24 June showed that 61% of Germans would support the extension of nuclear power plant operations.
But Sascha Müller-Kraenner, director of the German environmental NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), said in a statement on July 19.
“If the duration of the nuclear power plant exceeds December 31, 2022, we will prevent this from happening through the courts if necessary. ”
Under pressure: the push to keep German nuclear plants running
# Germany # Nuclear Power Plant # Nuclear Waste # Denuclearization # Natural Gas

The EU has proposed listing nuclear power as "green energy," which conflicts with Germany's decision to eliminate nuclear power.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has affected Germany's energy policy, leading to a surge in gas prices and an impact on electricity prices.

Coal-fired power plants have resumed operations in some German areas, which may further hinder Germany's climate goals.

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.

The German government has drawn up orders to reduce energy consumption and is considering delaying the closure of its last three nuclear power plants.

The extension of nuclear plants is not officially concluded in Germany, and the country is undergoing stress tests due to the war.

Overall, the delay in decommissioning nuclear plants in Germany may have significant consequences for the country's ability to achieve its climate goals and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

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

Germany's energy market is coping with the loss of nuclear energy by promoting renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, but the country still faces an energy shortage crisis.

The German government is seeking to reduce gas consumption by 20% to avoid a shortfall, and the extension of nuclear power plants could help to achieve this goal.

However, the decision to delay the decommissioning of nuclear plants in Germany may have significant implications for the country's ability to achieve its climate goals, and it is essential to carefully evaluate the potential consequences of this decision.

The country's energy-intensive industry is no longer competitive, and companies are shifting production abroad or shutting down.

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Graph: BLOOMBERG

Europe’s industrial giants have fretted for months that gas shortages this winter will cripple production. But even with fuel available, companies are discovering they can’t afford it.

“It’s not about shutdowns. It’s pricing, it’s cost,” said Christian Levin, CEO of Traton, the truckmaking unit of Volkswagen.

Europe is paying seven times as much for gas as the US, underscoring a dramatic erosion of the continent’s industrial competitiveness that threatens to cause lasting damage to its economy. With Russian President Vladimir Putin redoubling his war efforts in Ukraine, there’s little sign that gas flows — and substantially lower prices — will be restored to Europe in the near term.

Signs of an economic transformation are already afoot: Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has seen its usual trade surplus dwindle as the surge in imported energy costs offsets its high-value exports of cars and machinery, and chemical companies began shifting production outside the country. Last month, German producer prices jumped by a record 46%.

Plastics maker Covestro won’t make growth investments in Europe if the crisis persists and will instead look to Asia, where CEO Markus Steilemann said the company can secure energy at prices 20 times cheaper than in the German and European spot market.

Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, warned last week that it could reallocate production out of Germany and Eastern Europe if energy prices don’t come down.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled with a group of business leaders to the Middle East at the weekend as he tries to nail down deals for liquefied natural gas with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to make up for Russia’s cuts.

But negotiations have been difficult, with gas suppliers including Qatar playing hardball over the price and duration of potential agreements, German officials have said. Discussions with suppliers in Europe and North America have proven similarly complex, underlining the uphill struggle Scholz faces in locking down supplies at prices that will keep Germany’s economic base competitive.

On Sunday Reuters reported that  German utility RWE has struck a deal with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to deliver liquefied natural by the end of December.

Covestro expects its fuel bill to top €2.2bn in 2022, almost four times its cost in 2020, the year before Russia started choking off gas supplies to Europe. “At the current price level, energy-intensive German industry is no longer globally competitive,” a Covestro spokesperson said. “For a number of chemicals, imports from the US or China are already cheaper than producing them locally.”

Lasting damage

Where possible, manufacturers including Volkswagen and BMW are moving from gas to oil or coal to keep facilities running. But some energy-intensive manufacturing — such as metals, paper and ceramics — has become unfeasible, prompting a growing number of companies to shut down, shift production abroad or, like chemical giant BASF, to import key materials such as ammonia from competitors. Mercedes-Benz has ramped up production of key car parts to stockpile in case it has to close German factories.

“These burdens are causing lasting damage to the industrial core of our economy,” said Christian Seyfert, MD of VIK, a group that represents energy-intensive companies. “We urgently advise politicians to take decisive action so that Germany and Europe as a business location are not completely left behind internationally.”

Governments across Europe, where industrial production accounts for about a quarter of the economy, are taking emergency actions to shore up utilities and cushion the impact of the crisis. The UK announced an estimated £40bn plan that would cap wholesale energy prices that feed into gas and power contracts for businesses for six months.

Germany, because of its heavy reliance on Russian gas, has been hit harder by the energy shortage than many of its neighbours. But the rest of the continent is under similar duress.

In France, glassmaker Duralex, located near Orleans, said it’s putting its oven on standby for five months even though the order book is full and sales are growing. “Continuing to produce at current prices would be a financial aberration,” said Jose-Luis Llacuna, president of Duralex, which exports to 110 countries and had its Picardie model featured in the James Bond movie Skyfall.

High stakes

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged small and medium-sized businesses to hold off on signing new energy contracts at “crazy prices”, saying governments are renegotiating gas and electricity tariffs.

The stakes are perhaps highest in Germany, where industrial production makes up about 30% of the economy and employs about 1.15-million people. Energy-intensive factories countrywide supply everything from gearbox components for cars to the chemicals for medicines and everyday plastics.

Covestro, which makes materials for the building and car industries, said demand is starting to break down. “We’re slowly losing our customers,” Steilemann said. “We have an increased number of insolvencies, an increased number of closures and very restrained purchasing.”

Germany is to nationalise Uniper, the country’s largest gas importer, with an €8bn capital injection, and the country is poised to impose a gas levy on October 1 that spreads the pain of soaring wholesale energy prices to households and businesses.

Businesses have decried that plan. “Our companies can no longer cope with any further burdens,” said Wolfgang Grosse Entrup, president of the chemical association VCI, an organisation that represents the likes of BASF and Evonik Industries, key suppliers to Germany’s car making sector. “The situation is becoming more and more drastic.”

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Germany's energy regulator warns of a total collapse without Russian gas, and the country faces economic destruction if gas supplies run thin this winter.

Title:

Content: The European Union is positioning itself to be completely cut off from all Russian energy. And if that happens, Germany and other heavily import-reliant countries in Europe will suffer a Lehman Brothers-type collapse of its energy market.

Economic Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck issued a stark warning about how Europe’s largest economy faces total economic destruction should gas supplies run thin this winter, which they are expected to do.

“Companies would have to stop production, lay off their workers, supply chains would collapse, people would go into debt to pay their heating bills, that people would become poorer,” he is quoted as saying.

The Green Party politician actually described what is soon to come as “a king of Lehman Brothers effect in the energy market,” which would quickly spread like a contagion or virus throughout municipal utilities and both the industrial and commercial sectors of the economy.

“And then you have a domino effect that would lead to a severe recession,” he added.

Lehman Brothers, as you may recall, was the lynchpin of the 2008 global financial crisis, which sent Wall Street tumbling until the government decided that taxpayers needed to bail out the culprits whose greed and corruption caused the crisis in the first place.

“The impact of Lehman’s collapse was particularly widespread due to the interconnectedness of its balance sheets with other banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, and other financial institutions,” explains Breitbart News.

“Many believe that the U.S. government made a critical mistake in allowing Lehman to fail and that the failure worsened the crisis and subsequent economic calamity.”

The West is committing economic suicide while blaming Putin for it

Germany already faces a 60 percent reduction in natural gas from Russia, all because it refuses to pay for the energy in rubles demanded by Russia.

Had Germany and other Western powerhouses not imposed crippling economic sanctions against Russia over its “special operation” in Ukraine, Russia never would have changed the requirement that the West pays for gas in rubles – so the West only has itself to blame for what is now unfolding.

Instead of fixing the problem that they helped create, politicians in Germany are calling on the German people to pay for it by drastically reducing their energy consumption.

Germans are now expected to live within a model of extreme scarcity to cover for the failed economic policies of their elected leaders.

“Everyone in industry and in their home life can contribute to this – and yes, this also includes jumpers, shower heads, turning the heating down a bit, all of this helps,” Habeck says.

If Germans refuse to do this, then they will simply have to pay double or triple the cost of energy in the coming months, which will be absolutely devastating once winter arrives.

Should Russian energy stop flowing completely, then Germany will have less than three months of fuel left before a total collapse, warned Klaus Müller, head of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) energy regulator.

“If the storage facilities in Germany were mathematically 100 percent full … we could do without Russian gas completely … for just about two-and-a-half months and then the storage tanks will be empty,” he is quoted as saying.

Germany was repeatedly warned in the past that its over-reliance on Russian energy could cause problems. Those problems are now emerging at a rapid pace and they threaten to destroy Europe’s largest economy in a matter of months.

Germany also could have avoided going “green,” which would have allowed it to become more energy independent. Instead, it opted to close its nuclear power plants, phase out coal, and hope for the best with just wind turbines and solar panels.

The latest news about the energy crisis and what is soon to come as a result of it can be found at Collapse.news.

Ethan Huff

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com

Related Posts

The Russian-Ukrainian war has caused a global energy crisis, which has affected Germany's energy supply, with Russia's gas supplies to Germany down to a fifth of pre-war levels.

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.

Germany can no longer rely on Russia for energy, and the country has triggered an emergency plan to manage gas supplies due to the dispute.

Title:

Content: Home / World Economy / World Economy News / Energy crisis putting most German firms under duress -survey

Energy crisis putting most German firms under duress -survey

The energy crisis is impacting nearly every branch of the German economy, with the number of companies that see high energy costs due to the Ukraine war as a threat to business at the highest level on record, the DIHK business survey showed on Wednesday.

Some 82% of the 24,000 businesses surveyed see the prices for energy and raw materials as a business risk, which the DIHK – the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry – said was the most since it began keeping records in 1985.

Correspondingly, optimism was in short supply, with only a record 8% of those surveyed expecting improvement. “Even during the coronavirus times and the financial market crisis, the percentage of optimists was more than 10%,” said DIHK head Martin Wansleben. “Companies fear the worst is yet to come.”

While the first half of 2022 was helped by the lifting of pandemic lockdowns, “these growth impulses have been eaten up by the energy price crisis, inflation and the gloomy global economy for months,” said Wanleben. “The German economy is not only facing a tough winter, but also a difficult year,” he added.

More than half of the companies said they expect their business to decline over the next 12 months, according to DIHK, which confirmed its spring forecast for the German economy to grow by 1.2% in 2022 and then shrink by around 3% in 2023.

The survey leaves little room for any doubts about the direction of the coming months, said DIHK’s Ilja Nothnagel.

The German government’s latest forecast is for growth of 1.4% this year and a 0.4% slump next year.

Energy prices have risen at an unprecedented speed in the months since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Germany has found that it can no longer rely on Russia as it has for decades to power its industry.

In response, nearly one in five energy-intense industries have scaled down production or their offerings, while every 12th is considering shifting production somewhere else, said DIHK, in particular companies in the automotive industry, at 17%.

“We’re hearing quite often from firms that they are looking for or eyeing locations that fit their portfolio in terms of energy,” which at the moment is the United States, said Nothnagel.
Source: Reuters

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The country's energy market may collapse like Lehman Brothers, and 60% of Germans support restarting nuclear power to reduce prices.

Title:

Content: World Vision: Restarting nuclear power, dragging the German government into crisis
November 06, 2022 00: 03
Eastern Network Television
More News Clips
With Germany following the NATO sanctions against Russia, the German energy crisis is deepening and leading to serious political instability.
The gold-painted sign “Made in Germany ” has been peeled off. First, the business community complained about the high price of electricity in Germany, averaging 0.37 euros per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared with 0.18 euros in France, 0.24 euros in the United Kingdom and 0.10 euros in Hungary.
Even if the German government proposed energy subsidies, but other European governments such as Britain and France will do so, German companies still can not compete. The result is that more and more industrial products that Germany was proud of in the past, either set up factories in foreign countries or import some foreign parts to complete in Germany.
In addition, some townships began to have problems with the opening up and strengthening of thermal power generation and transmission, and now there are rare power outages, which have caused great dissatisfaction among the public.
The Minister of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Hajbek have become the target of attacks by the industrial sector, the German opposition, and the Liberal and Social Democrats in the government, focusing on Habek, who has no economic expertise but is responsible for the environmental ideology, and the government ’ s lack of understanding and compassion for industry, and has been deceiving the three nuclear power plants.
Halbek has always stressed that the German people have long been the majority of anti-nuclear power, but the latest poll shows that 64% of the people support restarting nuclear power to increase supply and reduce electricity prices due to the energy crisis, with 40% of the Green Party voters.
In addition, the Green Party has spoken out in favor of improving climate change, but has been hiding experts ’ suggestions that turning on nuclear power could cut Germany ’ s carbon emissions by 25 million to 30 million tons a year.
In addition, Halbek stressed that the nuclear fuel rods needed for the nuclear power plant may not be available by early next year, but the expert opinion is that the old nuclear fuel rods can also be used and the nuclear power plant can be gradually opened.
Halbek stressed that it would take a long time to open the safety inspection of nuclear power, but the world-famous German Technical Supervision Association immediately hit the face, claiming that they did a comprehensive inspection in March, all three nuclear power plants are normal, as long as limited further testing and monitoring, restart is not a problem at all.
The opposition party also criticized the three-party coalition government for delaying the setting of a gas price cap until March next year. At that time, the weather in Germany has begun to warm up. As a result, the opposition party and the public demand that Habaker resign, which can be regarded as the ruling coalition's biggest crisis to date.
Ph.D., Freie Universität Berlin

Restarting nuclear power could cut Germany's carbon emissions by 25-30 million tons, but nuclear fuel rods may not be available by early next year.

The German Technical Supervision Association found nuclear power plants to be safe, but the country has given up on nuclear energy as part of its goal to become carbon neutral.

Germany aims to exit coal- and gas-based power by 2030, and 66% of Germany's electricity came from renewables last month.

Title:

Content: A view from Germany on war and the climate crisis

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock is in SA this week for the two-yearly meeting of the two countries’ Binational Commission. She answered questions from the Sunday Times ahead of her visit

25 June 2023 - 00:00 By ANNALENA BAERBOCK
Award winning Mercedez1 The production line in Mercedes Benz SA's award-winning plant in East London.
Image: Theo Jeptha

South Africa is an international heavyweight and, since the end of apartheid, has been one of the leaders of the continent. Therefore, the most pressing global topics will be high on our agenda, such as our common fight against the climate crisis and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has painful effects on both Europe and Africa.

But we also have ambitious plans to intensify relations between our two countries: my visit marks the meeting of our Binational Commission, created by Nelson Mandela during his time in office in the spirit of shaping our common future together. In the margins of this year’s meeting, we will sign agreements on co-operation in vocational training as well as green hydrogen. When we talk about deepening German-South African relations, we mean business.

ON RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE

I do not believe in Cold War thinking. We live in a multipolar world, which is held together by a set of rules ensuring our peaceful coexistence, called the UN Charter, to which our countries are committed.

Russia broke those rules. It invaded its smaller neighbour Ukraine with the aim of erasing it as an independent state. Every day it is bombing schools, hospitals, power stations. It has killed thousands of innocent civilians and willingly caused a global energy and food crisis.

I understand that in a country about 9,000km away some may ask: why do you expect us to get involved? Similarly, not everyone in my country follows current affairs in Mozambique or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But I encourage everyone to ask themselves: what reaction would I expect from the international community if this war took place in my neighbourhood? Each country must decide how to respond to this breach — do we uphold the rules that protect us all? Or do we allow such behaviour to become the new norm? I don’t see how that would be in any country's interest.

The African peace initiative can be a good opportunity to bring South Africa’s weight to bear. South Africa's voice matters on the international stage: when the country of Mandela and Desmond Tutu speaks out against injustice, the world listens.

ON OUR ECONOMIC RELATIONS

Your country is Germany’s most important trade and investment partner on the African continent. More than 500 German companies are invested in South Africa, among them BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen. Together they create more than 100,000 jobs and account for about 10% of South Africa's exports in manufactured goods.

The reason for that is not just South Africa's well-skilled workforce. South Africa is living proof that democracy, a free and outspoken media and an independent judiciary are the best guarantees for investors. When democracies work together, everyone stands to benefit, not just politically but economically.

It is no secret that high crime, social injustice and corruption are worries for prospective investors in any country. Many businesses in South Africa have also been affected by the energy crisis, and this is holding back investment in new production sites. That is why our two countries put so much emphasis on co-operation in developing green energy projects.

Annalena Baerbock, federal minister for foreign affairs of Germany.
Image: Henry Nicholls/ WPA Pool via Getty Images

ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS

For many years my country wasted precious time by failing to tackle the phase-out of coal in parallel with the expansion of renewable energies. This neglect is now costing us dearly as we are forced to move ahead at twice the speed. But even Russia's war has not pushed us off track: yes, we had to temporarily reactivate a handful of coal plants we had held in reserve, to keep families warm in the freezing winter.

But Germany is moving full steam ahead with its green energy transition. We are making a substantial investment in in renewables, and are sticking to our target of exiting coal- and gas-based power generation by 2030. Last month, 66% of our electricity came from renewables, a new record.

We know from experience that the transition is not always easy. Coal mining was an important employer in my home state, and it took years to build a consensus on a phase-out plan that protects workers' livelihoods, creates new business opportunities and allows us to meet our climate goals.

But the climate crisis does not wait for us. And the injustice is that many of the poorest countries, including in Africa, are hit hard by its effects even though they have contributed little to it. Nonetheless, saving our planet requires us all to phase out fossil fuels and switch to renewables as soon as possible.

That is why Germany and other international partners are supporting South Africa with a “just energy transition partnership”. The good news is: renewables are not only the best way to save our planet, they are also the cheapest and quickest way to generate additional energy and end the energy crisis in South Africa.

ON GREEN HYDROGEN

From my perspective, South Africa is in a unique position to benefit from the green hydrogen boom. There are few countries with better climate conditions and comparable home-grown expertise and technology. As the world is transitioning towards green energy, it thirsts for green hydrogen — and is willing to pay a lot of money for it.

Germany and other European countries are diversifying their energy supplies at record speed because Russia decided to use its oil and gas as an economic weapon against us. The South African economy stands to gain a profitable new export sector and to create thousands of jobs. Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chancellor Olaf Scholz launched a landmark project on green hydrogen-based aviation fuels, and we are working to make sure that is only the beginning.

The climate crisis is the biggest driver of conflict and the greatest security threat to the world. That is why we all, and especially industrialised countries, have a responsibility to do everything in our power to contain and mitigate it while there is still time

ON EQUAL RIGHTS

Racism, xenophobia and far-right extremism are poison for all democracies. Wherever they rear their heads, it is the responsibility of free societies to push back with determination. Especially when societies come under pressure from war, inflation or economic uncertainty, extremists and autocrats find fertile ground for their divisive slogans.

That is why it is important for those who believe in peace, equal rights and tolerance to work together. I am convinced that, in the 21st century, a modern foreign policy must include standing up for equal rights, not just for men and women, but for all people regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, as well as addressing the legacy of colonialism. That is at the centre of our concept of feminist foreign policy, and my South African colleague Naledi Pandor and I see eye to eye on these topics.

ON SECURITY IN AFRICA

Africa and Europe are neighbours, therefore Africa’s security is also Europe’s security. When conflicts rage on the African continent, we feel the effects in Europe, just as African countries feel the effects of Russia starting a war of aggression in Europe. Thus, the fighting in Sudan, the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region and the repeated cycles of violence in eastern DRC — to name a few — worry me and my European colleagues.

At the same time, the AU and other regional organisations have shown success in finding African solutions for African problems and have developed unique expertise and experience in mediation and conflict resolution, which we try to support where we can. That is why there was never a question in my mind that Germany should support the AU’s long-standing request for membership in the G20.

Naturally, military action is only one piece of the sustainable stability puzzle. We know that the climate crisis is the biggest driver of conflict and the greatest security threat to the world. That is why we all, and especially industrialised countries, have a responsibility to do everything in our power to contain and mitigate it while there is still time.

The country is investing in renewables to mitigate the climate crisis, and renewables are the cheapest and quickest way to generate energy.

However, Germany's energy transition is hindered by a lack of grid infrastructure, and high energy prices affect German small and medium-sized enterprises.

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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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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The country has allocated over 260 billion euros to respond to the energy crisis, and the government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan.

The economic implications of the energy crisis in Germany can be mitigated through policy decisions and investments in renewable energy, such as expanding renewable energy generation and stimulating inter-fuel competition.

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Content: The role of gas in Germany ’ s energy mix will continue to grow.
This was stated to the correspondent of IA REGNUM on January 31 by the Director of the Center for Financial Policy of the Department of Public Finance of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Vadim Ponkratov.
Gas production
Gazprom.ru
“Germany ’ s energy sector has been severely crippled by the abandonment of coal generation and the forced closure of nuclear power plants, ” he said. – RES are weather-dependent and must be supported by a significant reserve of traditional generating capacities capable of smoothing out peaks in electricity consumption.
All this is superimposed on the growth of demand for electricity due to the electrification of transport and the reduction in the use of oil and gas processing products as fuel.
"Green" generation is already significantly more expensive than traditional, and taking into account the need to reserve significant capacities of thermal power plants, which is several times more expensive than a simple uniform use, as a result, a serious increase in the cost of electricity unwinds an inflationary spiral. "
According to him, the main measures to reduce dependence on Russian energy supplies that Germany will take are: diversification of types of energy resources and their suppliers; expansion of generation based on renewable energy sources; stimulation of inter-fuel competition; creation and commercial introduction of new technologies based on achievements of science and technology; further development of energy and resource saving programs.
“But all these are expensive measures, and even the largest economy of the European Union, Germany will be extremely difficult to find resources for this in the context of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the need for large-scale stimulation of economic development.
It is much easier to ensure economic growth on the basis of stable supplies of Russian energy resources with understandable and predictable price parameters, ” said Ponkratov.
Recall, as reported by IA REGNUM, there is a forecast that Germany will systematically reduce the use of petroleum products and refuse to supply oil from Russia.

Germany's solar industry has lost intellectual and political power due to competition from China, but the country is still investing in solar and other renewable energy sources.

The US Inflation Reduction Act may siphon off international investment from Germany, which could hinder the country's energy transition.

Overall, Germany's energy crisis has significant economic and environmental implications, but the country is taking steps to mitigate these implications through investments in renewable energy and policy decisions.

Nuclear energy can help reduce carbon emissions and solve energy crisis, and many countries are reinvesting in nuclear power to achieve net-zero emissions.

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Why do many countries decide to reinvest in nuclear power?
【 Li Shulian / Editorial Department of North American Intellectual Property News 】
Recently, a number of countries that originally supported the decommissioning of nuclear plants have turned around and announced that they will extend the operation of their domestic nuclear plants. Not only that, but they will also invest tens of billions of dollars to create more large and small nuclear reactors.
That ’ s all because nuclear energy can effectively solve two of the world ’ s biggest crises: energy and climate change.
The energy crisis and climate change can be said to bring a breakthrough development opportunity for nuclear energy, the former to pursue energy diversity, the latter to pursue net zero emissions, and known as the best efficiency of green energy of nuclear energy of course become one of the mandatory items when formulating energy policies in many countries.
However, these major powers, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Korea, have frozen their investment in nuclear power plants due to public doubts about nuclear safety caused by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant earthquake, so that the relevant technology to build nuclear power plants has been surpassed by Russia and China.
However, this has not hindered the determination of many countries to restart nuclear power, on the road to a nuclear-free homeland, should the Chinese government also stop, look, listen?
Energy security concerns and recent spikes in energy prices, especially after Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, highlight the importance of a diverse mix of non-petrochemical and domestic energy sources.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated an already tense global fuel market and continues to push up electricity prices.
According to the European Union ’ s Energy Regulatory Cooperation Agency (ACER), retail electricity prices have increased by an average of 30% year-on-year in February 2022, with the biggest price increases in regions where electricity generation is heavily dependent on natural gas, such as Madrid by 55% and Rome by 80%.
On the other hand, over the past few years, the number of countries pursuing Net Zero Emissions (NZE) has increased, with more than 70 countries covering 76% of the world ’ s energy-related CO2 emissions committing to net zero by 2022; more than 10 times more in four years, compared with only six countries committing to net zero at the end of 2018.
As countries move towards a net-zero future, renewable energy, especially wind and solar photovoltaics, is often seen as the largest source of electricity.
At the same time, however, a growing number of countries have announced their support for new nuclear power plant investment plans.
In February 2022, France announced plans to build six new large reactors starting in 2028 at a cost of around €50 billion, with an additional eight to be built by 2050, while committing €1 billion to develop innovative reactors, including small modular reactors by 2030.
China plans to continue its current pace of nuclear reactor construction in order to reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060.
South Korea ’ s new president, Yoon Seok Hyuk, has also made an election pledge to reverse South Korea ’ s nuclear phase-out policy by supporting the extension and reactivation of existing nuclear facilities at two sites, while seeking to build 10 nuclear plants overseas using South Korean technology by 2030.
Table 1.
Major Nuclear Energy Developments by Country in 2020-2022
Without nuclear energy, it would be difficult for the world to achieve net-zero emissions.
The deployment of nuclear energy has increased the diversity of the energy mix, which in addition to promoting the rise of variable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, can greatly reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
In the 10 years since the first oil crisis, nearly 170 GW of nuclear power plants began construction; these plants still account for 40% of the nuclear capacity in operation today.
Many of the reasons why governments are restarting nuclear power today are also affected by the energy crisis.
On the other hand, as a mature large-scale low-emission energy source, nuclear energy can effectively help decarbonize the electricity supply.
In the International Energy Agency ’ s (IEA) net-zero 2050 setting, emissions from the energy sector are expected to fall by about 40% from 2020 to 2030, before falling back to net-zero in 2050.
This narrow but achievable path requires immediate and rigorous policy action by governments around the world to reshape energy systems in many ways.
In reality, extending the service life of a nuclear power plant is the most cost-effective and integral part of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Despite the fact that renewable energy already dominates nearly 90% of the net zero-emission energy supply, nuclear energy still plays an important role.
Today, around 260 GW (63%) of nuclear power plants worldwide have been in use for more than 30 years and are nearing the end of their initial operating license.
Nuclear power plants that have extended their service in the past three years account for about 10% of the world ’ s nuclear power plants. By 2030, the number of nuclear power plants operating in developed economies could shrink by a third.
More than half of the nuclear power plants are now able to extend their service lives for net-zero emissions, reducing the need for other low-emission options by nearly 200 GW.
By 2030, the capital cost of most extended nuclear power plants will be around $500 to $1,100 per kilowatt (kW), which is extremely competitive compared to solar and wind in most regions.
Nuclear power plays an important role in the path to net-zero emissions.
Nuclear power will double from 413 GW at the beginning of 2022 to 812 GW by 2050 in the net-zero emissions journey; and 27 GW per year between now and 2030.
If countries do not consider the extension of nuclear power plants or the construction of new nuclear power plants, the share of nuclear power in total generation will fall from 10% in 2020 to 3% in 2050, so that solar and wind energy need to fill this gap, not only need higher capital investment, but also increase the uncertainty of energy supply.
If a country like Taiwan has congenital restrictions on developing renewable energy, it needs to be filled with low-carbon energy sources such as natural gas, and the cost is even more substantial.
The contribution of nuclear energy to safe and low-emission power systems is not valued
IEA data show that nuclear power currently operates in 32 countries with a capacity of 413 GW, which could reduce global CO2 emissions by 1.5 gigatons (gigatons) and 180 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas demand annually.
While wind and solar are leaders in alternative fossil fuels, they also need to be complemented by scalable resources; as the second largest source of low-emission power after hydropower, nuclear power with scalable and growth potential has become an option for many countries.
However, the current power market design fails to fully reflect the two major benefits of nuclear power.
First, nuclear power is a scalable resource that avoids costly economic and social harm from power outages when the average power supply system load approaches the level of available supply capacity.
In addition, nuclear power is low-emission green energy, but most electricity markets do not reward the low-carbon nature of nuclear power. While many countries support clean energy production, such as production and investment tax credits and subsidized electricity prices, nuclear power is excluded from subsidies or other subsidy mechanisms available for wind and solar.
The Fukushima nuclear disaster can be avoided, and it is not advisable to waste food because of choking.
Some countries have ruled out nuclear energy in the green energy option, mainly due to concerns about safety and nuclear waste management, and these countries have decided to phase out nuclear power mainly due to public safety concerns.
In the wake of the Three Mile Island nuclear leak, the failure of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, and three major accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, public support for nuclear power in many countries has weakened significantly.
Countries that retain and continue to develop nuclear energy also strongly demand higher safety standards at their nuclear plants.
The 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant prompted countries to reassess and strengthen nuclear safety and emergency preparedness. Many countries have conducted safety inspections or pressure tests on existing reactors, and have required some types of reactors to undergo safety modifications.
These considerations have also led some countries to adjust their nuclear power use plans.
Germany, for example, has built 36 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 30 GW, which accelerated the phase-out of all of them in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Most of the reactors have now been shut down, and the three reactors still in operation will be closed by the end of 2022.
Other European countries, such as Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, have also announced phasing out or not renewing their nuclear plants.
In Japan, many of the nuclear plants that were shut down after the Fukushima accident have not yet been restarted, and the share of nuclear power generation has fallen from a high of 35% in 2002 to about 5% today.
The Fukushima accident raised global concerns about the risks and potential costs of a nuclear disaster, leading to the decision to idle or shut down other reactors and increase thermal power generation, resulting in higher import costs for fossil fuels.
However, in response to the Fukushima disaster, the official investigation concluded that the accident should have been foreseen and prevented. [1]
The Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Nuclear Disaster has confirmed that the structure of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant cannot withstand the impact of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
On the other hand, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was not prepared for a serious accident; in fact, both Tepco and the regulatory authorities were aware of the risks posed by such natural disasters, but neither took any precautions.
The Commission noted that the structure of Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant could not withstand the strong earthquakes and tsunamis caused by 311, and that the specifications of the plant lacked sufficient seismic and tsunami strength because (1) the guidelines for the construction of Units 1 to 3 of the plant were from the late 1960s, so the guidelines for the construction were inadequate, and (2) the area around the plant was considered to be seismic activity. The smallest, never even experienced earthquake damage.
Based on this assessment, the safe tolerance level for the maximum seismic acceleration in the seismic design is set at 265 Gal, [2] with very low seismic resistance.
In addition, the lack of countermeasures to cope with the tsunami is also one of the causes of the nuclear disaster.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was built in 1967, based on seismological knowledge at the time and the possibility of core damage in such a tsunami situation. However, the early seismological knowledge was far from adequate for the emergency that occurred on 311 in 2011.
Stop, Look and Listen on the Road to a Non-Nuclear Home
As the development of renewable energy failed to meet the target, China's original 2025 renewable energy accounted for 20% of the target has been determined to be postponed to October 2026, proof that the policy should be adjusted according to the actual situation; the same, on the road to non-nuclear homes, the government should stop, look, listen, and not ignore the actual situation has been moving forward.
The general public, too, should learn more about nuclear and renewable energy to make informed decisions.
Stop: Since the Russo-Ukrainian War, the world situation has changed rapidly, seriously affecting the supply of raw materials and prices, and policymakers should stop and rethink.
Look: Reviewing established energy policies, especially the bottleneck in the development of renewable energy, is a major obstacle to the pursuit of net zero emissions, and seeing the goal of 60 to 70% of total electricity generation by 2050 is almost impossible, should we see how other countries respond and make early adjustments?
Listen: Please listen to the suggestions and advice of the business community, the business community representatives unanimously believe that the government's national energy policy must be reviewed, in the energy structure should not exclude nuclear energy, even if the four nuclear power, at least to consider a new generation of nuclear energy, will be listed as an option.
[3] Has the government listened?
[This article is not finished, please see the full content of "North American intellectual rights" 317: "energy series report" why many countries decided to re-nuclear arms?
* If you would like to reprint this article, please contact the North American Intellectual Property Journal
[For details, please refer to North American Intellectual Property Journal No. 317; welcome to subscribe to North American Intellectual Property Journal e-newsletter.]
Reference Materials:
Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions, International Energy Agency, IEA Publications, June 2022
The official report of The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, The National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, 2012.
Remarks:
1.
The official report of The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, The National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, 2012.
2.
Gal is a unit of acceleration.
3.
Taiwan ’ s energy structure business sector: options for a new generation of nuclear energy, Business Times Tam Shu-chen 2022.06.26
Extended reading
Russian missile strikes nuclear power plant again! Ukraine: Less than 300 meters from reactor
75% of French support nuclear energy
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Why do many countries decide to reinvest in nuclear power?
Recently, a number of countries that originally supported the decommissioning of nuclear plants have turned around and announced that they will extend the operation of their domestic nuclear plants. Not only that, but they will also invest tens of billions of dollars to create more large and small nuclear reactors.
That ’ s all because nuclear energy can effectively solve two of the world ’ s biggest crises: energy and climate change.
The energy crisis and climate change can be said to bring a breakthrough development opportunity for nuclear energy, the former to pursue energy diversity, the latter to pursue net zero emissions, and known as the best efficiency of green energy of nuclear energy of course become one of the mandatory items when formulating energy policies in many countries.
However, these major powers, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Korea, have frozen their investment in nuclear power plants due to public doubts about nuclear safety caused by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant earthquake, so that the relevant technology to build nuclear power plants has been surpassed by Russia and China.
However, this has not hindered the determination of many countries to restart nuclear power, on the road to a nuclear-free homeland, should the Chinese government also stop, look, listen?
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Germany has phased out nuclear power due to safety concerns after the Fukushima disaster, with the last three nuclear power plants shut down by the end of 2022.

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

The country relies on coal-fired power after the nuclear shutdown, which is not a low-carbon energy source.

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

Nuclear energy is considered a green energy investment project, and the EU aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Title:

Content: The European Commission proposed at the beginning of this year to include nuclear energy and natural gas as green energy investment projects to promote private investment and help the EU achieve its climate goals. On July 6, the European Parliament voted to pass the supplementary authorization law with 328 votes and 278 votes.
Based on the European Union ’ s “Sustainability Classification Standard ” proposed in the Official Journal of the European Union in 2020, the classification system creates a list of sustainable economic activities to define what investments meet the criteria for sustainable energy. In the transition,“ some nuclear and natural gas ” under certain conditions will be considered as green energy, for example, banks will be able to lend to these “green assets ”. Financing for nuclear power plants or natural gas will be easier. Although the voices of both sides are fiercely fighting in the parliament, the new green energy standard will not be reversed from the voting results, and it is certain that it will be on the road in January 2023.
Big changes in the European Union ’ s sustainability category
In fact, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global oil and gas and other energy prices have continued to soar, and European countries that have joined the ranks of sanctions have been in a dilemma because they rely heavily on Russian oil and gas exports.
According to the commitment of the European Union, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to reduce carbon by 50-55% by 2030, some European countries maintain that natural gas emissions are far lower than fossil fuels, so it can be regarded as a transition option. In order to avoid the threat of Russia cutting off natural gas supply, some countries began to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and Australia, or signed a long-term agreement with natural gas suppliers to ensure supply, and vigorously invested in renewable energy construction is also the way of most European countries. The only way to achieve carbon-neutral standards is to continue building more nuclear plants; Germany is on track to complete nuclear elimination, with only three remaining plants still in operation, and the remaining plants will be completely decommissioned by the end of this year, according to the government plan.
The United States, on the other side of the globe, has set up a $6 billion fund to help nuclear plants continue to operate despite having the world ’ s largest nuclear power plant, and passed a bill last year to expand nuclear power development. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), countries that choose to continue or increase their use of nuclear energy can reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions and integrate their power systems into more solar and wind power. Carbon emissions, global nuclear power generation needs to be increased from the current 413 GW to at least 812 GW.
For the full text and chart, please refer to "Investment Weekly Issue 2204".
# Earth # Global # System # Nuclear Power Plant # Natural Gas

Germany's shutdown of nuclear power plants has sparked criticism over energy supply, with some arguing that nuclear energy helps reduce carbon emissions significantly.

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

The EU supports keeping existing nuclear plants running, and France plans to restart nuclear reactor construction, investing €1 billion in nuclear research and development.

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

Nuclear power generation needs to increase to 812 GW to achieve net-zero emissions, and nuclear energy can reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The EU classifies nuclear energy as sustainable under certain conditions, which could pave the way for reinstating nuclear energy production in Germany.

Germany will decommission all nuclear plants by the end of the year, and the country will rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity in winter.

Title:

Content: In early 2023, Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants, so this winter will be Germany ’ s first “nuclear-free winter ”. Despite the German government ’ s vow to modernize its energy system and develop renewable energy, Germany ’ s fossil fuel consumption is higher and its power system is dirtier.
Commenting on Germany ’ s electricity problem, Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire wrote that the country ’ s electricity problem began with a gradual decline in the share of nuclear power in Germany ’ s power generation structure. In 2014, the contribution of nuclear power to Germany ’ s total electricity supply fell by only 6% in 2022, and finally dropped to zero after the last eight reactor outages in 2023.
According to the think tank Ember, Germany's last eight nuclear reactors generated about 8.1 gigawatts (8,000 megawatts) of electricity, a gap that was filled by solar and wind capacity.
It seems to be okay.
However, as solar power (Germany ’ s second largest clean power after wind) suffers from reduced sunlight this year, power generation will fall sharply this winter, and the total amount of clean electricity in Germany will also decline, but winter has always been Europe ’ s peak electricity consumption (heating demand), so German power producers are forced to increase the amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. of emissions.
According to the data, in the first nine months of 2023, Germany ’ s total electricity generation fell compared to last year, including clean electricity and fossil energy power; clean electricity fell by 5.6% compared to the same period in 2022, and fossil fuel power generation fell by 21%.
In other words, this year has been the most electricity efficient year in Germany since 2017.
But don ’ t think that ’ s a good thing, because Germany ’ s industrial electricity demand has fallen this year, and the economy has certainly followed suit.
Why is that so?
Data from the London Stock Exchange shows that the high price of electricity in Germany is a key factor. Compared to 2019, the price of electricity in Germany is 160% higher this year, although it is much better than the highest price last year (electricity prices soared last year due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, this year has fallen), but the German industry is still unwilling to pay.
According to data from the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), German chemical and fertilizer production (previously produced using abundant and cheap natural gas) has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2023 as producers cut production.
Production of cars, steel, batteries and turbines has also been cut, causing Germany, Europe ’ s largest economy, to experience a rare export slump this year.
In order to support the German industrial recovery, the German government asked the power companies to suppress the cost of electricity, and actively increase the production of cheap renewable energy, did get some results, but after entering the autumn, the sunshine time reduced, Germany September to December's total solar power, must be more than 80% lower than the peak.
Since solar power has accounted for more than 20% of Germany ’ s total electricity generation each month in the past five months, such a serious decline in clean power production will inevitably lead to a tight overall electricity supply; in order to make up for the shortage of solar power, Germany can only maximize the use of wind power, wind power production in Germany will increase in winter.
In order to supplement the intermittent problem of wind power and ensure that the total generation of electricity rises as demand grows, power companies have to increase the generation of coal and gas, which can be controlled by power plants to balance the needs of the national electricity market.
Speaking of which, it is clear that Germany will have to rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity, and its carbon emissions will inevitably increase.
In order to determine its ideal of a non-nuclear homeland, Germany has caused more pollution, and the cost of electricity is still high, which has hit the German industry.
In August of this year, economists criticized "Germany's economic recession is already the sick man of Europe", which is all related to the abandonment of nuclear power.
German power mix may get dirtier for 1st non-nuclear winter
# Germany # Electricity # Dirty # Carbon # Solar

Nuclear energy can integrate with solar and wind power, providing a reliable and low-carbon energy source.

The US has a $6 billion fund to support nuclear plant operation, which could be a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Nuclear power is crucial for decarbonization and energy transition, and 439 nuclear reactors are operating worldwide with 413 GW capacity.

Title:

Content: The internationally renowned Schroders investment (Schroders) published a nuclear power analysis article in August, saying that from the perspective of international megatrends, nuclear power will become increasingly important in the future, especially in the energy transition process, is the strongest kind of power.
With the US government announcing its support for nuclear investment, China ’ s plan to “complete at least 150 new nuclear reactors over the next 15 years ” and the UK government ’ s commitment to“ research and use small modular reactions (SMRs) ” all seem to be revealing how the outlook for nuclear power and related industries could change dramatically.
Samuel Thomas, an investment analyst, discusses the future of nuclear power in a question-and-answer manner, and why governments around the world are now targeting nuclear power growth as their primary energy goal.
What role does nuclear play in decarbonization?
How many new nuclear reactors are under construction or planned in each country?
Five of the world ’ s largest economies – the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Japan and China – have announced their goal of significantly increasing their nuclear capacity, resulting in more than 100 nuclear projects being built and planned over the next 10 years.
Germany is the only exception, but their opposition to nuclear power is also loosening.
According to the World Nuclear Association (IAEA), there are currently 58 reactors under construction, 103 reactors have been confirmed, and 325 are planned.
It is the nuclear energy boom since 2015.
What role can nuclear play in achieving net-zero emissions?
There are currently 439 nuclear reactors in operation worldwide, with an estimated operational capacity of 413 gigawatts (GW, 1 billion watts, million kilowatts) in 2022, accounting for about 10% of the total global power generation.
According to the net zero forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the nuclear industry needs to at least double its capacity by 2050.
With governments under pressure to meet their decarbonisation targets, maintaining existing nuclear power is the easiest option for them to pass.
Of course, recent concerns about energy security are another factor driving renewed support for nuclear power.
Specifically, in order to achieve the goal of net zero emissions, the IEA believes that by 2050, the global nuclear capacity should reach at least 812 GW.
On average, more than 25 GW should be added each year for the next 30 years. From this perspective, clean power has only increased by 6 GW in the past 10 years (without nuclear power).
3.
How much investment does it take to reach the net zero goal?
The IEA believes that investment in nuclear power must be at least twice as high as it is today. Between 2016 and 2020, global nuclear investment averaged $35 billion a year.
In order to achieve net zero emissions, it needs to rise to $80 billion by 2025, and annual nuclear energy investment must increase to more than $100 billion by the end of the 2020s.
How environmentally friendly is nuclear power?
Based on the analysis of various international bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (NECE), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), nuclear energy is one of the least carbon-emitting sources of energy.
The emission of nuclear power per kilowatt-hour is only 10 ~ 15 grams / carbon dioxide equivalent, which is competitive with wind and solar energy, far superior to coal and natural gas.
Nuclear power is also the second largest low-carbon energy source after hydropower, far exceeding the sum of wind and solar energy.
It is estimated that over the past 50 years, nuclear power has avoided 70 billion tons (70 Gt) of carbon dioxide emissions.
How economical is nuclear power?
Nuclear and other energy sources are cost-competitive as long as they operate successfully.
According to the IEA, the average cost of generating nuclear power is about $60 per megawatt-hour (meaning $60 per megawatt-hour for 1,000 kilowatt-hours), which is lower than fossil fuel generation and competitive with other low-carbon technologies.
However, this is talking about LCOE, which means that the nuclear power plant has been completed, with only routine maintenance and fuel costs.
In fact, the cost of generating electricity at the most recent nuclear plants is higher than the IEA average.
A clear example is the UK ’ s Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant (Hinkley Point C) selling electricity at £92.50 per megawatt hour (meaning £92.5 per 1,000 kWh, about NT $3,740), which is significantly higher than the IEA average.
In terms of reliability, the average capacity factor of nuclear energy (that is, the ratio of actual electricity generated over a period of time to continuous full power operation) is 90 to 95%, which is considered to be the highest of all forms of power generation.
Finally, extending the operational life of a nuclear power plant is a simple and cost-effective way to do so.
The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that of all power generation options, the additional investment required to extend the plant is minimal and the time required to improve the project is minimal.
How important is financial protection for nuclear power?
Safety and nuclear waste aside, one of the biggest obstacles to large-scale nuclear power construction is the ability to invest.
Although governments have come to believe that nuclear power will play a key role in the future energy mix and decarbonization strategy, the funding required for nuclear power is very large and there is still a huge funding gap.
This may require new financing mechanisms to better balance the risk allocation between government and private capital.
The UK is experimenting with a “regulated asset base ” (RAB), and the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant mentioned above will be the first in the UK to be funded using the RAB model.
How safe is nuclear power?
Surprisingly, nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy production.
When analyzing the death rate per unit of power generation, nuclear power is the second safest source of power generation.
An average of 0.03 deaths per terawatt-hour (1 billion kilowatt-hours, or 1 billion kilowatt-hours), far lower than coal, oil, gas and wind power.
In terms of post-power generation waste, due to the extremely high power density of nuclear fuel, only a small amount of fuel is required to generate a large amount of electricity.
This also makes the amount of nuclear waste very small.
It is also important to remember that nuclear power regulators have long required nuclear power operators to prepare in advance for the management of nuclear waste, so these costs have long been internalized into the operating costs of power plants, which are called "nuclear back-end funds."
What are the main risks of increased nuclear power?
In terms of technology, the main obstacle to nuclear power is the high cost of the initial plant, and then the time to build the plant is very long, and it is likely that it will need to be added due to the lack of estimated funds, or even due to the halfway of the chain of funds.
But the main obstacle to nuclear power is the perception of the outside world, the perception affects the attitude of the public, the attitude of the public oppresses the government, the government may be forced to turn and pull.
Nuclear power: a viable option in an energy transition?
# Schroder # Nuclear # Decarbonisation # Investment # Cost

Nuclear capacity needs to double by 2050 to achieve net-zero emissions, and global nuclear capacity should reach 812 GW by 2050.

Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants in 2023, and nuclear power contributed 6% to Germany's total electricity supply in 2022.

The country's last eight nuclear reactors generated 8.1 gigawatts of electricity, which is a significant loss of low-carbon energy capacity.

Clean electricity in Germany fell by 5.6% in the first nine months of 2023, and fossil fuel power generation in Germany fell by 21% in the same period.

Germany's electricity price is 160% higher in 2023 compared to 2019, which could be partly due to the loss of nuclear power capacity.

German chemical and fertilizer production fell to its lowest level in over a decade in 2023, which could be related to the energy supply issues.

Germany will rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity in winter, which will inevitably increase carbon emissions.

Nuclear energy is one of the least carbon-emitting sources of energy, and nuclear power has avoided 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Nuclear power is cost-competitive with an average cost of $60 per megawatt-hour, and nuclear energy has a high capacity factor of 90 to 95%.

Nuclear power is one of the safest forms of energy production, which could alleviate concerns about safety if Germany decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Germany is the only G7 country to abolish nuclear power, and 20 countries signed the Nuclear Energy Initiative to triple nuclear power by 2050.

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The path to a low-carbon energy transition has been the focus of discussions among world leaders at the 28th United Nations Climate Summit (COP28).
More than 20 countries, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and Canada, have signed the Nuclear Energy Initiative, which supports the tripling of nuclear power generation by 2050 as an important tool to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
On the other hand, Germany, the only G7 country to abolish nuclear power, did not join the initiative, and Chancellor Gerhard Schloss chose to invite 36 countries to form a "Climate Club" at the other end of the meeting, stressing that Germany is helping developing countries to promote renewable energy, hydrogen and industrial decarbonization, avoiding the role of nuclear power in net zero emissions.
At this year ’ s climate summit, “phasing out or cutting fossil fuels ” has become the consensus of most countries, but how to fill the energy gap after reducing fossil fuels, countries have different paths; at present, there are three main ways to save energy, improve energy efficiency, develop nuclear energy, renewable energy and green hydrogen.
The nuclear energy initiative at the climate summit was spearheaded by the United States and France.
According to the New York Times, John Kerry, the US climate envoy, said that nuclear energy cannot replace all energy sources, but scientific evidence shows that without nuclear energy, net zero carbon emissions cannot be achieved by 2050.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said nuclear power is an indispensable solution to stop climate change.
The United Arab Emirates is also one of the signatories of the agreement.
As an oil-producing country, the United Arab Emirates has no worries about the availability of fossil fuels. In the past, more than 95% of the power generation structure has come from oil and natural gas. However, the country has actively promoted the development of low-carbon energy in recent years.
Germany is one of the few industrialized countries to scrap nuclear power, from 2011 proposed nuclear power to zero in April this year after Germany ’ s last nuclear power plant decommissioned officially declared nuclear power, a move supported by anti-nuclear activists, but also criticized by climate activists for not helping Germany achieve net zero carbon emissions.
As Taiwan is currently the only country in Asia to target a "non-nuclear homeland", German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not respond positively when asked by a Vision Project reporter whether the policy of abolishing nuclear power will affect net zero carbon emissions. Electrification and green hydrogen can be achieved with determination. Schutz also reiterated Germany ’ s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2045 and stressed the importance of renewable energy.
At the Climate Summit, he announced the formation of a Climate Club with 36 countries, including many developing countries, with the goal of using innovative technologies to drive a low-carbon transformation of the industry and decouple economic growth from carbon emissions.
Nuclear energy is not a climate club issue, but countries must replace confrontation with cooperation to have a chance to achieve the goal of net zero carbon emissions.
In fact, the idea of a climate club put forward by Shauz in 2021, focusing only on research and development of low-carbon steel, industrial decarbonization and international partnerships, has been criticized by experts and scholars as too vague, and how effective the actual reduction of carbon remains to be seen.
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Nuclear energy can help achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and Germany aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2045.

Renewable energy is crucial for Germany's low-carbon transition, but nuclear energy is not part of Germany's Climate Club initiative.

The US and France spearheaded the Nuclear Energy Initiative, which could provide a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Climate experts believe nuclear energy is indispensable to stop climate change, which highlights the importance of considering all low-carbon energy options.

Nuclear power can help reduce carbon emissions, and Von der Leyen stresses nuclear power's importance in the clean energy transition.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Von der Leyen stresses the importance of nuclear power in reducing carbon emissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders at the first nuclear energy summit in Brussels on Thursday that nuclear power could help reduce carbon emissions.
Ms von der Leyen added: “In countries that are open to technology, nuclear technology can play an important role in the transition to clean energy.
After the global energy crisis caused by Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, many countries see the potential role of nuclear power in a new perspective.
Von der Leyen spoke at the IAEA's first nuclear energy summit, which was attended by leaders of more than 30 countries.
The IAEA event information stated that the purpose of the summit was "to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels".
Some European countries, such as France and Hungary, are planning to build new nuclear plants, while others are seeking to phase out nuclear power altogether.
Germany, from which von der Leyen is a native, shut down its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 last year.
Belgium is also working to phase out nuclear power.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that “there are different views in the EU on nuclear power, ” but noted that nuclear power is“ the second largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower. ”

Nuclear technology aids clean energy transition, and the IAEA summit highlights nuclear energy's role in reducing carbon emissions.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Von der Leyen stresses the importance of nuclear power in reducing carbon emissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders at the first nuclear energy summit in Brussels on Thursday that nuclear power could help reduce carbon emissions.
Ms von der Leyen added: “In countries that are open to technology, nuclear technology can play an important role in the transition to clean energy.
After the global energy crisis caused by Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, many countries see the potential role of nuclear power in a new perspective.
Von der Leyen spoke at the IAEA's first nuclear energy summit, which was attended by leaders of more than 30 countries.
The IAEA event information stated that the purpose of the summit was "to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels".
Some European countries, such as France and Hungary, are planning to build new nuclear plants, while others are seeking to phase out nuclear power altogether.
Germany, from which von der Leyen is a native, shut down its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 last year.
Belgium is also working to phase out nuclear power.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that “there are different views in the EU on nuclear power, ” but noted that nuclear power is“ the second largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower. ”

France and Hungary plan new nuclear plants, which could provide a model for Germany to consider if it decides to reinstate nuclear energy production.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Von der Leyen stresses the importance of nuclear power in reducing carbon emissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders at the first nuclear energy summit in Brussels on Thursday that nuclear power could help reduce carbon emissions.
Ms von der Leyen added: “In countries that are open to technology, nuclear technology can play an important role in the transition to clean energy.
After the global energy crisis caused by Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, many countries see the potential role of nuclear power in a new perspective.
Von der Leyen spoke at the IAEA's first nuclear energy summit, which was attended by leaders of more than 30 countries.
The IAEA event information stated that the purpose of the summit was "to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels".
Some European countries, such as France and Hungary, are planning to build new nuclear plants, while others are seeking to phase out nuclear power altogether.
Germany, from which von der Leyen is a native, shut down its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 last year.
Belgium is also working to phase out nuclear power.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that “there are different views in the EU on nuclear power, ” but noted that nuclear power is“ the second largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower. ”

Nuclear power is a low-emission electricity source, and EU countries have different views on nuclear power.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Von der Leyen stresses the importance of nuclear power in reducing carbon emissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders at the first nuclear energy summit in Brussels on Thursday that nuclear power could help reduce carbon emissions.
Ms von der Leyen added: “In countries that are open to technology, nuclear technology can play an important role in the transition to clean energy.
After the global energy crisis caused by Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, many countries see the potential role of nuclear power in a new perspective.
Von der Leyen spoke at the IAEA's first nuclear energy summit, which was attended by leaders of more than 30 countries.
The IAEA event information stated that the purpose of the summit was "to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels".
Some European countries, such as France and Hungary, are planning to build new nuclear plants, while others are seeking to phase out nuclear power altogether.
Germany, from which von der Leyen is a native, shut down its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 last year.
Belgium is also working to phase out nuclear power.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that “there are different views in the EU on nuclear power, ” but noted that nuclear power is“ the second largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower. ”

Nuclear power is the second largest low-emission source, which highlights its importance in the energy mix.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Mohamad Elbaz
Von der Leyen stresses the importance of nuclear power in reducing carbon emissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders at the first nuclear energy summit in Brussels on Thursday that nuclear power could help reduce carbon emissions.
Ms von der Leyen added: “In countries that are open to technology, nuclear technology can play an important role in the transition to clean energy.
After the global energy crisis caused by Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, many countries see the potential role of nuclear power in a new perspective.
Von der Leyen spoke at the IAEA's first nuclear energy summit, which was attended by leaders of more than 30 countries.
The IAEA event information stated that the purpose of the summit was "to highlight the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels".
Some European countries, such as France and Hungary, are planning to build new nuclear plants, while others are seeking to phase out nuclear power altogether.
Germany, from which von der Leyen is a native, shut down its last three nuclear power plants on April 15 last year.
Belgium is also working to phase out nuclear power.
Von der Leyen acknowledged that “there are different views in the EU on nuclear power, ” but noted that nuclear power is“ the second largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower. ”

Germany is phasing out nuclear power completely, with plans to shut down its three remaining nuclear plants, as part

Germany is phasing out nuclear power completely, with plans to shut down its three remaining nuclear plants, as part

Germany is phasing out nuclear power completely, with plans to shut down its three remaining nuclear plants, as part