Lindner sees the end of nuclear power in Germany
Christian Lindner
© AFP
Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP) sees the shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants on Saturday as the end of nuclear power in Germany after more than 60 years. He doesn’t think a comeback of nuclear power at some point in the future is “a realistic idea,” Lindner told Welt-TV on Friday. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) meanwhile reiterated his call to examine a return to the use of nuclear energy.
Federal Finance Minister Lindner says he wants the three nuclear power plants that will be taken offline on Saturday to remain in reserve – instead of dismantling them. Germany should also “keep open the possibility of nuclear fusion, research here and also enable applications,” Lindner told Welt-TV.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Söder justified his view that there will be a new edition of nuclear energy in an interview with the ARD “Tagesthemen” with the fact that Germany is living in a “new era”. It is not possible to master the challenges of the new century with the “narratives and ideologies of the 1980s”. “We need every scrap of energy,” said Söder.
Söder accused the Greens of forcing Germany into “ideological hostages”. The country can therefore not “be ready to give up the chances for our future”. Concepts might have to be developed in order to be able to use nuclear energy for a certain period of time.
In Germany, the last three remaining nuclear power plants will go offline on Saturday. The power plants Isar 2 in Bavaria, Neckarwestheim in Baden-Württemberg and Emsland in Lower Saxony will stop producing electricity by late evening. This marks the end of the era of power generation from nuclear energy in Germany after six decades.
