With the EU imposing sanctions on Russian coal and some calling for an embargo on Russian oil and gas, calls are growing for the use of nuclear power to fill the resulting energy gap.
But in fact, this is not a new issue. Many people have raised similar issues long before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
But the belief that nuclear energy should not be part of Germany's energy mix is long-standing and deeply rooted in German society.
The Three Mile Island nuclear accident in the United States in 1979 and the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986 caused many countries around the world to launch anti-nuclear movements at that time, and Germany was one of the countries most affected by the anti-nuclear movement. Build new commercial reactors.
In 1998, when the Social Democrats and Greens coalition took over from the Conservative government, they reached a "nuclear consensus" with the large utilities that operate nuclear plants to gradually shut down the plants, with the last to close in 2022.
Before the Fukushima nuclear leak, in 2009, Merkel used her credibility and the identity of a female doctor of physics to extend the time for complete nuclear abandonment from 2020 to 2036, and said to the public, "I always believe that the shutdown does not emit carbon dioxide. It is very absurd”, “Japan, which is as rigorous as us, is also using nuclear energy, why can’t we”.
But it didn't take long for this to be said, and the Fukushima nuclear power plant was "slapped in the face". For Germany, the Fukushima nuclear leak in Japan in March 2011 was "the last straw that broke the camel's back."
On the third day of the accident, Merkel announced the suspension of the plan to postpone the nuclear power plant until 2036, and announced the closure of 8 of the 17 nuclear reactors four months later, and the remaining 9 will be closed by 2022.
Germany's abandonment of nuclear power is due to public opinion: German polls last year showed that 90% of people opposed building new nuclear power plants, and 62% agreed to replace nuclear and coal with solar and wind power.
While restarting nuclear power plants seems attractive to supporters, the reality of Germany's return to nuclear power is more complicated.
1. Restarting nuclear plants won’t solve Germany’s looming energy crisis
Germany's high reliance on Russian gas is particularly acute for heating and industry. However, nuclear energy has not played a role in either.
The three nuclear power plants still in operation - Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 - do not contribute much to Germany's energy balance: they have an installed capacity of just 4.3 gigawatts, supplying an average of about 30 terawatt-hours of electricity per year, only accounting for 5% of Germany's total electricity generation.
2. Any decision to extend the life of a nuclear power plant will require a new comprehensive risk assessment
The government says the risks associated with nuclear power have increased - evidenced by the threat of cyberattacks to critical infrastructure.
During the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the power supply lines of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant were damaged, which also exposed some of the external risks faced by nuclear power.
3. The supply of uranium fuel rods will be insufficient
The government said the three existing nuclear plants, without new uranium fuel rods, could continue to operate beyond the end of the year, but new fuel assemblies would take 12-15 months to produce and be ready by the summer of 2023 at the earliest.
According to Eurostat, Russia is the second largest supplier of uranium to EU nuclear power plants.
4. Re-issuing licenses is very time-consuming
The government said the last three nuclear power plants underwent safety inspections in 2009, so extending the plants would have to carry out new inspections, which could lead to the need for "huge investment" in safety technology.
The required safety checks amount to re-issuing a licence, which is a very time-consuming process: they must meet the latest scientific and technical standards, and these can become so demanding that a potential operator Unattractive.
5. Operators have no interest in extending the life of nuclear power plants
Operators of the remaining plants have said they have no interest in keeping the reactors running.
After years of struggle, Germany's big utilities have embraced the future of renewable energy and the end of nuclear power.
They also noted that all legal (compensation) issues for denuclearization have been resolved, operating licenses will expire and will be difficult to regain, contracts with suppliers and other service companies have been terminated, staff have been reassigned, and fuel supplies will end .
