Gas Crisis Spurs Germany to Mull Extending The Life of Nuclear Plants

• Germany may extend the life of its three remaining nuclear power plants, the economy ministry said on July 18, 2022, as public support rises in the face of a possible cut-off of Russian gas.
• Germany's remaining nuclear plants are scheduled to be shut down by year-end after former Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to phase out nuclear power following the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan in 2011. The three plants made up 6% of Germany's power production in the first quarter of 2022.
• A first assessment by the environment and economy ministries in March did not recommend extending the plants' lifetime, citing legal, licensing, and insurance challenges, the need for extensive and possibly costly safety checks, and a lack of fuel rods to keep the plants running.
• But falling Russian gas supplies to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline have emboldened pro-nuclear voices in Germany and Europe ahead of a feared electricity crunch this winter. The ministry said power grid operators had requested a second assessment of the viability of nuclear power.
• The new assessment will consider the potential impact of higher gas prices on electricity prices, more serious gas supply outages, and a halt in French nuclear power plant production, an economy ministry document seen by Reuters showed.
• The stress test will also consider the special situation in southern Germany and in the state of Bavaria, where Isar II nuclear power plant is due to be shut at the end of the year. The state depends on gas-fired power plants and has few coal-fired plants and low wind power production, it added. Bavaria's Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger on July 17 urged the federal government to extend the lifetime of the nuclear power plants

(Source: Reuters)