Status: 08/21/2022 3:13 p.m
Minister of Economics Habeck has ruled out that the nuclear power plant running times are extended to save gas. The yield would be too low. But the result of the stress test depends on whether the nuclear power plants will be needed longer to stabilize the power grid in winter.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck has ruled out extending the service life of the last three German nuclear power plants beyond the end of the year in order to save gas. With the continued operation of the nuclear power plant, gas consumption can be reduced by a maximum of two percent, said the Greens politician at a public dialogue on the federal government’s open day. “For the little we win there, it’s the wrong decision.” There are other ways to save gas. For this, the consensus on the nuclear phase-out should not be untied again.
Something else is the question of power grid stability, especially in Bavaria in winter, said the Green politician. “That could become a problem under certain conditions.” Even if Bavaria’s reasons are due to the lack of expansion of wind energy or the grid, security of supply must be guaranteed. However, there is still no result of the stress test commissioned by the government.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a similar statement at the Open House in the Chancellery. The result of the stress test for the three nuclear power plants still in operation will be completed “by the end of the month, maybe early next month,” said Scholz. Then it will be decided whether the piles should be used beyond the end of the year. However, nuclear power plants could only make a small contribution to solving the energy problem anyway. How problematic the technology is can be seen in France, where many nuclear power plants are currently failing. New buildings are so expensive that, unlike renewable energy, they cause high electricity prices.
Government wants to wait for stress test
The government has commissioned the stress test from the power grid operators. It is being examined whether it might be necessary to extend the operation of the nuclear power plants in order to keep the grid stable and guarantee security of supply.
One of the factors that plays a role here is that France has taken many of its nuclear power plants off the grid for maintenance work and is therefore partly supplied by Germany. The problem for France could be exacerbated in winter, as the country also relies heavily on electricity for heating.
Habeck against the opening of Nord Stream 2
From Habeck’s point of view, an opening of the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 in order to possibly secure the gas supply would mean giving in to Russian President Vladimir Putin. That would indirectly say that Putin is right, said Habeck. “But he didn’t.” The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been completed but not put into operation. The federal government put the approval process for this on hold in February.
Habeck said Russia is curbing supplies through Nord Stream 1, even though the line is “fully operable.” “That means the assumption that no more gas can be pushed through there is Russian propaganda.” Instead, Germany must develop new energy sources.
In a report published on Friday by the editorial network Germany (RND), FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki spoke out in favor of opening the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline in order to fill the gas storage facilities for the winter. The initiative was also rejected in his own party.