Environment Minister: Lemke confirms nuclear phase-out in mid-April

Status: 03/19/2023 06:53 a.m

On April 15, the last three nuclear power plants in Germany are scheduled to go offline. Federal Environment Minister Lemke confirmed the date again. This does not endanger the security of the German energy supply.

In a good four weeks, the use of nuclear power in Germany should end. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke confirmed this. “The nuclear phase-out in mid-April will remain,” said the Green politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “The risks of nuclear power are ultimately unmanageable.”

The Environment Minister contradicted fears that the energy supply would no longer be secure as a result of the nuclear phase-out. “In an international comparison, we have a very high security of supply,” said Lemke. This is “significantly better” than that of neighboring German countries “with the highest proportion of nuclear power,” she emphasized. “In the long run, therefore, competition and more renewable energies are the best means of stable prices,” said Lemke.

Dispute between the Greens and the FDP

The final phase-out of nuclear power should actually have taken place at the turn of the year. Due to the difficult energy situation as a result of the war in Ukraine, the shutdown of the last nuclear power plants was postponed to April 15 – with the Chancellor’s word of authority. Olaf Scholz ended an internal coalition dispute between the Greens and the FDP, which could now flare up again.

While the FDP advocates further use of nuclear power, the Greens and SPD are strictly against it. The deputy chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Lukas Köhler, had recently warned against a rapid dismantling of the three nuclear power plants. The Union wants to keep the nuclear power plants at least operational.

source site