Germany is apparently no longer producing electricity through nuclear power plants. This was a plan to shut down the final three power plants that make up the brunt of the European country’s electrical output, and this is set to take a substantial toll on the average citizen’s wallet.
The country had announced in 2011 that they had planned to phase out nuclear power, but the fallout of this decision could be disastrous. The closures of Emsland, Isar II, and Neckarwestheim II plants is set to increase the consumer’s power bill by 45 percent, according to a report.
David Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at UC San Diego, told CNBC that this ”was a highly anticipated action. The German government extended the lifetimes of these plants for a few months, but never planned beyond that.”
Germany decided back in 2022, amid the conflict rising in Ukraine, to keep the power plants going for a few more months so as to secure supplies, but this era has apparently come to an end, per CNBC.
The outlet reported that there has been discontent with the German government’s decision to close down a mechanism that produced a clean source of energy. However, there are also those who have celebrated the decision, noting that it will prevent potential nuclear accidents that have happened in other parts of the world.
There have been a number of scientists, including professors and Nobel laureates from institutions such as MIT and Columbia, who have pleaded to keep the plants open. In a letter published on April 14, the scientists made their case for why the plants should be kept open. The letter was published on RePlaneteers, an advocacy group.
The letter says: “In view of the threat that climate change poses to life on our planet and the obvious energy crisis in which Germany and Europe find themselves due to the unavailability of Russian natural gas, we call on you to continue operating the last remaining German nuclear power plants.”
Spokesman for the World Nuclear Association, Henry Preston, said: “This is hugely disappointing, when a secure low carbon 24/7 source of energy such as nuclear was available and could have continued operation for another 40 years.”
He added: “Germany’s nuclear industry has been world class. All three of those reactors shut down at the weekend performed extremely well.”
The three nuclear power plants that were shut down were reported to have provided 10 million German households with electricity.
