"Nuclear power, she explained, is a 'reliable, affordable source of low-emission electricity.' The head of the EU Commission announced new financial aid for such power plants. Von der Leyen's words reverberated in Germany, which switched off its last nuclear reactor in 2023."
"From 1961 onward, a total of 37 German reactors supplied up to 30% of the country's electricity. Germany began phasing out nuclear power 15 years ago, following the disaster in Fukushima, Japan. The last German nuclear power plant was taken offline in 2023."
"Since then, there has been a recurring debate in Germany about whether a return to nuclear power would be sensible, given the fluctuation in the production of renewables like solar and wind energy and especially given the scarcity of oil and gas imports due to international crises such as the war in Ukraine."
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared the abandonment of nuclear energy by some European Union countries a strategic mistake, emphasizing nuclear power as a reliable and affordable source of low-emission electricity. She announced new financial aid for nuclear power plants at a nuclear summit near Paris. Her statements particularly resonated in Germany, which shut down its last nuclear reactor in 2023 after a 15-year phase-out following the Fukushima disaster. Germany previously operated 37 reactors supplying up to 30% of electricity. Despite current energy challenges from renewable fluctuations and import scarcity due to international crises like the Ukraine war, Germany continues to resist nuclear energy revival, influenced by historical opposition symbolized by the failed Gorleben waste repository project.
#nuclear-energy-policy #eu-energy-strategy #germany-nuclear-phase-out #renewable-energy-transition #energy-security
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