Nuclear plant operator rejects ideas to restart Germany鈥檚 reactors on economical grounds
Handelsblatt / Die Welt / Deutsche Welle
Restarting Germany鈥檚 decommissioned nuclear power plants is not a viable option, former plant operator E.ON has said. The company insisted that plans to fully dismantle all plants remain unchanged. A return to nuclear power production would not be economical, E.ON finance head Nadia Jakobi told journalists in a phone call, business newspaper Handelsblatt聽. The company had taken its last nuclear plant, Isar 2, off the grid in April 2023, when Germany shuttered its three remaining plants after years of preparing its full nuclear phase-out.
The idea of Germany returning to nuclear power had gained some traction due to the energy crisis. Proponents argue that the technology could provide a low-carbon alternative to fossil plants that will help stabilize supply and keep prices low while renewable energy sources are expanded. Members of the largest opposition group, the CDU/CSU alliance, in a position paper on energy policy, considered assessing options for refiring the idle plants across the country before dismantling begins.
However, CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who could become chancellor after Germany鈥檚 upcoming snap elections in February, poured cold water on these plans: At a conference last week on the conservative鈥檚 energy policy plans, Merz said that the future of nuclear plants in Germany could not be reversed 鈥渨ithout a societal consensus鈥�, newspaper Die Welt聽. 鈥淭he more time passes, the less likely it is that there will be a fresh start for the decommissioned plants,鈥� Merz added. However, the CDU leader had earlier said that his party remained open to nuclear power research into concepts such as small modular reactors (SMR) or nuclear fusion.
At the UN climate conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the head of the International Atomic 麻豆无码版 Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, had said that a return to nuclear power would be 鈥渓ogical鈥� for Germany, Deutsche Welle . Grossi argued that Germany was so far the only country to fully withdraw from the technology. Spain, Taiwan and Italy all have made pledges to fully exit nuclear power. However, Italy鈥檚 government recently proposed the country could re-enter the technology.
