“Climate-friendly generation”: Lindner would leave nuclear power plants on the grid

“Climate-friendly production”
Lindner would leave the nuclear power plants connected

08/29/2022, 20:31

The withdrawal of energy in Meseburg could be turbulent. Finance Minister Lindner advocates the continued operation of the last three German nuclear power plants. The Greens are strictly against it. Good tips for traffic lights also come from Prague.

Before the withdrawal of the federal government at Schloss Meseberg, the FDP demands that Germany keep open the continuous operation of the three remaining nuclear power plants in this country. In his own words, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner assumes that there is a severe electricity shortage, “which must also be combated with the help of nuclear power”, he told the “Welt” television channel. “Some of our cities will be darker because we have to save electricity. However, in such a situation, do we give up safe and climate-friendly options for generating electricity, like nuclear power? That doesn’t convince me,” he continued.

Looking ahead to an ongoing stress test of the German power supply, he said he was pretty sure there would be a lot to say about the continued operation of nuclear power plants. He would always try to secure whatever reserve capacity we have in this situation. It needs a combination of liquefied natural gas, gas production in Europe, coal and also nuclear power. “My advice to us: don’t be too picky, but do your best to prevent an energy crisis in our country.”

During the consultations on Tuesday and Wednesday in Meseberg, the topics of energy supply, digitization and vocational training, as well as a “national security strategy” should be on the agenda. Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock again rejected longer lifespans for the three remaining nuclear power plants beyond the end of the year. “I am not convinced that nuclear power plants will solve our gas problem,” the green politician said in a newspaper interview. Overturning the start again “would be crazy and it would cost us even more”.

The Czech Republic advises Germany to operate nuclear power plants

The Czech Republic had previously asked Germany to continue operating its last three nuclear power plants beyond 2022. It would be nice if the operation of German nuclear power plants could be extended by at least a few months, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after from a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague. “We agreed that a pan-European solution had to be found to lower electricity prices,” Fiala said after the conversation with Scholz. These had reached a level that was unacceptable.

Unlike Germany, the Czech Republic remains dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy. According to the plans of the government in Prague, the share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix of the EU member state will increase to more than half by 2040. For this, the construction of new reactors is planned.