BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2022) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ordered a legal assessment of the possibility of keeping three German nuclear power plants �� Isar II, Neckarwestheim II, and Emsland � in operation until April 15, 2023, German broadcaster ZDF reported on Monday.
Germany first announced its atomic phaseout plans in 2011 in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Berlin decided to unplug all nuclear power plants by the end of 2022 and to phase out coal by 2038. On January 1, 2022, Germany disconnected three of its last six NPPs from the grid. Currently, only three plants � in Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg and Lower Saxony � continue to operate. The facilities were initially expected to be put on reserve until the end of 2022.
Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the Greens political party, has spoken out against the continued use of the facilities for electricity generation. However, Finance Minister Christian Lindner on September 19 called for the return to the operation of NPPs in Germany amid the ongoing energy crisis, a proposal that runs counter to the position of the country's coalition government which advocates that the facilities remain in reserve.
The start of hostilities in Ukraine in February exacerbated the energy crisis unfolding in Europe over the past year. Disruptions in logistical and financial operations due to the conflict and Western sanctions against Russia have undermined supply chains and led to a spike in energy prices worldwide, pushing many European governments to resort to contingency measures.
