If the state stops working, we’ll get more expensive electricity.
This is a comment. The comment reflects the author’s positionGermany’s last nuclear power plant is scheduled to close by the new year. It was decided to decommission the reactors Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2 and Emsland.
The background is the vast majority of people to close. Everything was decided in 2011.
Since then, the reactors have been closed one by one. Now only those three remain.
Meanwhile, Russia invaded Ukraine, electricity prices skyrocketed, and Europe faced electricity rationing this winter.
Can Germany move forward with its plans then?
They can turn around at the last minute. There is growing political pressure to continue. The result of the security check is now expected this week. will be decisive.
Many have modified their perception of reality after the war.
In Norway the oil industry is full of self-confidence, oil spill He went. In the European Union, talk of phasing out gas has been replaced by attempts to get as much gas as possible. Coal power has been restarted. Nuclear energy is gaining new popularity
France announced earlier this year a huge investment in nuclear energy in the coming years. Boris Johnson says in Britain The goal is eight new nuclear power plants. The Finns just got a brand new nuclear power plant almost online.
In Sweden, which also suffers from high electricity prices, they do not argue about European cables. They are tearing their eyes at each other over decommissioned nuclear power.
Even Japan affected by Fukushima wants to bet on nuclear power again quickly.
In Germany, this seems to be the farthest.
Most people simply do not like nuclear power. For the ruling Green Party, this was the most important issue for them. Even German experts in the nuclear power industry have little confidence in nuclear power in the future.
But many opinion polls show that there is a majority in favor of extending the last three works.
The arguments against this were that these three represented no more than a few percent of Germany’s electricity production.
Some point out that the shutdown started a long time ago and that businesses should close soon anyway.
It is also said that it is difficult to get the fuel needed to drive. Russia is an important supplier.
But the three works are not trivial. It can help generate enough electricity to balance the system.
Does it really affect the price of electricity significantly if it is closed?
– That could mean a price around 20-25 øre/kWh lower than elsewhere in southern Norway, says Marius Holm Renesund, a power analyst at Thema, when he called.
These are unconfirmed numbers. But it is too much.
According to leaks in Der Spiegel and TajischawAnd the It is moving toward keeping the three plants operating until the spring of next year.
On the other hand, the authorities denied making any decision.
Facing different options.
The minimum proposal is to continue operating only one nuclear power plant. There is talk of it in Bavaria, where they have a serious shortage of electricity.
You can also drive all three further. Then two of them will run until March and the last until June. It is said that this is as long as the current fuel rods.
The most comprehensive proposal involves purchasing new fuel rods and operating them for several years to come. Opposition forces want it, as well as reopening the three businesses that were closed last year.
– Short term extension Based on existing fuel rods, I think there is a more than 50 percent chance, says German expert Carsten Ase Nielsen who He runs the Tysktime blog.
But he adds that this does not mean a future reinvestment in nuclear power in Germany. – I consider this completely improbable, says Asi Nielsen.
Because the resistance in the people is still there. Polls show that more comprehensive proposals also get less support.
It seems that the best we can hope for in the first place is that Germany will continue to operate its last three nuclear power plants until spring.
It would be best for them to discover that it is possible to operate all six for several years to come.
Because next winter can be just as difficult as next winter.
The problem of toxic nuclear waste and its storage place is still great.
But when you have to choose between toxic waste and a lack of energy, it goes without saying. The choice is no longer difficult.
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