End of the nuclear power era in Germany: the last reactors go offline

After six decades, the era of nuclear energy in Germany is ending today. The remaining three reactors are to be taken off the grid. The nuclear power debate, however, continues to smolder.

Around 62 years after the first commercial nuclear power plant in Germany went into operation, the three remaining reactors in Germany are scheduled to go offline today.

Actually, the nuclear power plants should have been taken off the grid at the end of last year. This was decided by the coalition of CDU/CSU and FDP in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. However, because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the traffic light coalition decided last year to let the three reactors continue to run over the winter.

Shutdown of the last nuclear power plant shortly before midnight

The shutdown of the last plant is expected shortly before midnight – it is unclear which of the Meiler Isar 2 in Bavaria, Emsland in Lower Saxony and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg will be the last.

Operators prepared for the deadline well in advance. The power of the reactors is continuously reduced. The generator is then disconnected from the power grid and the reactor is completely shut down. Nuclear power opponents want to accompany the end in several cities with rallies.

Debate about the continued operation of nuclear power plants continues to smolder

Although the phase-out is imminent, the political debate about continued operation of the pile is not over yet. The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said in the daily topics, he believes in a new version of nuclear energy. “We feel this great energy crisis, we need every scrap of energy,” said the CSU politician. He again called for an extension of the nuclear power plant run times, starting next winter or after the next federal election. Doing without nuclear energy and relying on coal is a double standard, according to Söder.

According to Green Party leader Ricarda Lang, phasing out nuclear power also means entering the age of renewable energies. So the pace should be set for solar and wind energy as well as for hydrogen. The fact that more coal is currently being consumed is not due to the nuclear phase-out, but to the effects of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, she said in daily topics.

The coalition partner FDP, on the other hand, calls for the technology not to be completely abandoned. “Nuclear energy must have a future in Germany even after the exit,” said FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai to the dpa news agency. “This includes expanding research in the field of nuclear fusion and exploiting the opportunities presented by new and safer nuclear fission technologies.”

And even if the leader of the Liberals, Christian Lindner, had his way, the three nuclear power plants should remain in reserve and not be dismantled. “If we had to bring them online in the next two or three years, we would have this chance,” the finance minister told Welt television. But that failed because of the coalition partner Greens.

Environment Minister looks relieved at nuclear phase-out

Green Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, on the other hand, is relieved that nuclear energy will end. “The nuclear phase-out makes Germany safer,” she told the dpa. “The risks of nuclear power are ultimately unmanageable in the event of an accident.”

Lemke also sees the problem of nuclear energy in the waste that is produced: “We have used nuclear power in our country for about three generations and have produced waste that will remain dangerous for 30,000 generations. We pass this responsibility on to our grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many more generations”.

In total, more than 30 reactors in Germany still have to be dismantled.