Sticking With Nuclear

German energy giant EnBW presented a rather unwelcome Christmas gift to the government end of last week when it sought to transfer part of the life span of one of its more modern nuclear reactors to an older one which was due to shut down in 2009 under a six-year-old phase-out plan.

EnBW's request provoked strong reactions over Christmas, including a stern rebuff from environment minister Sigmar Gabriel. But the Social Democrat minister’s word may not have been the last on the issue as conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel is a staunch advocate of nuclear energy and now hopes for political tailwind from the European Commission.

Greens expect backpedaling on nuclear phase-out

Germany's nuclear phase-out plan was adopted by the previous red-green government, and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s current government of Social Democrats and Conservatives have decided to leave it untouched for now.

But senior members of the opposition environmentalist Greens such as Fritz Kuhn believe that EnBW’s move is a thinly veiled attempt to salvage its old reactor beyond 2009. They hope, Kuhn argues, that Merkel’s CDU would then be stronger after general elections and could finally ditch the nuclear withdrawal plan.

"It’s an absurd idea to transfer part of the remaining lifetime of a modern reactor to an older one," Kuhn said. "Quite obviously German energy companies want to undo the accord they signed in 2000. This must not be tolerated by politics."

Chancellor Angela Merkel is indeed increasingly unhappy with the plan to shut down all 17 nuclear plants in Germany by 2021. In the light of rising energy prices and Germany’s huge dependency on foreign energy, mainly from Russia, she wants a broader energy mix. She believes Germany should use the edge in nuclear technology it has acquired over the years.

But anti-nuclear campaigners say nuclear plants are primarily money machines for the energy industry. EnBW’s CEO Utz Claasen defends his company’s move saying it’s perfectly in line with legal provisions.

"We abide by common international standards regarding the lifetime of nuclear reactors," Claasen said. "And what’s more important we do not violate the stipulations laid out in the nuclear accord between government and industry."

EU may urge rethink on nuclear energy

Social Democrat environment minister Sigmar Gabriel is an opponent of nuclear energy. But he has grudgingly admitted that he cannot throw out the application so easily.

He is likely to come under added pressure from a European Union review of nuclear energy which is due to be published in early January. Parts of the report have already been leaked to the press and stress that nuclear power is important if the EU is to meet its ambitious climate protection policy goals.

Volker Hoff, a liberal member of the European parliament from Germany also argues that stopping nuclear power makes no sense anymore.

"It’s foolish to adhere to our national phase-out plan and at the same time promote an EU energy strategy that includes nuclear power," Hoff said. "In that way we are forcing our neighbors to increase their nuclear energy production for the entire EU to be able to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets."

Germany generates one third of its energy needs from nuclear power. Germans still overwhelmingly back a nuclear-free energy policy with a strong emphasis on renewable energies. But in view of skyrocketing electricity and heating bills that have angered Germans this year, the tide appears to be slowly turning.