Germany rules out re-extension of nuclear power plant operation in the country

MOSCOW, 3 Oct — PRIME. The operation of Germany’s two nuclear power plants will be extended only if necessary and once, Minister for the Environment and Nuclear Safety Steffi Lemke said on Monday.

“I rule out additional life extensions, including the necessary purchase of new fuel rods,” the politician told the Funke group’s newspapers.

The extension of the operation of two of the three remaining nuclear power plants is possible only in case of urgent need and with a guarantee of safety from the operators, the minister stressed.

“But nuclear energy is definitely not a panacea, as they want to convince the citizens of the CDU and CSU. I consider this extremely irresponsible,” she added.

Earlier, the German Ministry of Economy issued a statement on the standby operation of nuclear power plants in the country. It was originally planned that Germany would abandon nuclear energy in 2022. At the beginning of the year, three of the last six nuclear power plants were already shut down in the country. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly said that the issue of prolonging the operation of the remaining nuclear power plants is being studied against the backdrop of a possible energy collapse this and next winter.

Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habek, who belongs to the Greens, has spoken out against the continued use of nuclear power plants for electricity generation, while politicians from the opposition CDU and CSU parties have repeatedly called for the plant to be extended.