Germany shutters last nuclear power plants amid European energy crisis
Ryan King
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Germany finally pulled the plug on its final three nuclear power plants Saturday, amid an energy crisis ravaging Europe.
As of midnight, Germany’s smoking towers of Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2, and Emsland have been closed. They comprised roughly 4,055 megawatts or 6% of Germany’s total energy generation, forcing Berlin to hunt for alternatives as energy costs remain high across much of Europe.
GERMANY TO PHASE OUT LAST THREE NUCLEAR REACTORS FOR GOOD
The use of those facilities was subject to years of internal strife and protest, and Germany ultimately agreed to quit generating power from nuclear reactions during the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Although there has only been one confirmed death tied to radiation from the Fukushima incident, radioactive contamination unleashed by the meltdown spooked the international community.
Germany’s efforts to close its final nuclear power plants were stymied after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Berlin to cut off fossil fuel imports from Russia. The move caused energy prices to skyrocket and coincided with shortages across Europe.
At one point, Germany planned to shutter the three final reactors by the end of last year, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz extended the plants’ life to mid-April amid concerns about limited energy supply.
Germany began its foray into nuclear power in 1961 when it commissioned the Kahl reactor. Nuclear energy generates large swaths of power without carbon dioxide emissions, but critics point to its radioactive waste product that can be harmful to the environment.
“The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable,” Steffi Lemke, Germany’s federal minister for the environment and consumer protection, told CNN.
Before war broke out in Ukraine, Germany leaned on Russia for about 55% of its natural gas, resulting in sharp economic reverberations when it dialed down dependence on Moscow’s oil spigot.
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Other European nations have begun ramping up nuclear power exposure as a fossil fuel alternative, including France, which generates more than 70% of its power from nuclear. Some polls have found that public opinion on nuclear power has softened within Germany.
Meanwhile, Germany’s coal burning soared to the highest rate in nearly six years, according to data from the site Electricity Maps.