Berlin: Despite the imminent final phase-out of nuclear power in Germany, the “very high reliability” of the country’s power supply remains secured, the responsible ministries said. The country’s three remaining nuclear power plants will be taken off the grid on Saturday.
“This will end the use of nuclear power in Germany and significantly increase nuclear safety in this country,” the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the Ministry for the Environment said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, the phase-out of nuclear power in Germany was originally set for the end of 2022 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Due to the energy crisis, however, the operation of the Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 plants has been extended until April 2023.
Electricity production from nuclear sources already dropped by around half in 2022 compared to the previous year, accounting only for 6.4 per cent of total electricity, according to official figures, Xinhua news agency reported.
Germany’s energy supply security remains “very high by international standards,” Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck stressed in the statement.
After losing Russia as its largest natural gas supplier, Europe’s largest economy increased gas imports from other countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, and Norway in particular. In addition, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals were built in the North Sea.
The “massive expansion” of renewable energies is providing additional security, Habeck stressed. By 2030, Germany aims to generate 80 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources.
–IANS