Thursday, March 30, 2023
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

Russian gas threat revives German nuclear power debate

by Agence France-Presse
June 23, 2022
in Nuclear Weapons News
2 min read
0
Defense, Energy Experts Aid China’s Nuclear Security
14
VIEWS

Germany should extend the lifetime of its nuclear plants to avoid an “extreme scenario” in which a Russian gas stop could wipe 12 percent off the economy, a government advisor said Thursday.

Prolonging the operational lifetime of Germany’s remaining reactors could “create some breathing space”, Veronika Grimm, a member of the government’s council of economic advisors, told the Funke media group.

Germany turned its back on nuclear energy following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, with its last three plants set to go offline at the end of the year.

But the debate over prolonging the life of nuclear in Germany has been reopened amid fears Russia could cut off gas supplies as retaliation against the West over its backing for Ukraine following Moscow’s invasion.

In an “extreme scenario”, the German economy could shrink by 12 percent if Russia turned the taps off, Grimm said.

More conservative estimates put the impact between “minus 0.5 percent and minus six percent” depending on decisions made about saving gas over the summer, she said.

Like many of its neighbours, Germany is highly reliant on Russian energy imports to meet its needs.

Europe’s largest economy this week decided to reactivate mothballed coal-fired power plants in response to reduced gas deliveries from Russia via the Nord Stream pipeline.

But extending the life of nuclear plants beyond the end of the year was “currently not an option”, not least for “safety reasons”, a spokesman for the economy ministry said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Keeping the plants open “will not work”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the Muenchener Merkur paper on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the liberal FDP party denied that there was a row within the three-way coalition with Scholz’s Social Democrats and the ecology Greens.

But he added that he was “not satisfied that we are extending climate-damaging coal but not even considering the possibility of nuclear energy”.

The conservative state premier of Bavaria, Markus Soeder, has also pushed for an extension, saying this week the move was “certainly” possible.

But the boss of German energy company RWE, the operator of one of the remaining reactors in the fleet, told the Die Welt daily it was “too late”.

Security issues as well as the limited availability of fuel rods created hurdles to keep the plants going beyond the end of the year, he said.

Tags: germanyNuclear Energynuclear powerrussia
Previous Post

AI Improves Robotic Performance in DARPA’s Machine Common Sense Program

Next Post

Russia and China eye NATO’s ‘Arctic Achilles heel’

Related Posts

EU warns Belarus opening door to Russian nukes after vote

Kremlin says won’t change plans on Belarus nuclear weapons

March 28, 2023

The Kremlin on Monday said Western criticism would not change plans announced by President Vladimir Putin to deploy tactical nuclear...

Ahead of talks, North Korea says fired ‘new’ sub-launched missile

North Korea says it tested new underwater nuclear attack ‘drone’

March 24, 2023

North Korea claimed Friday it had tested an underwater nuclear attack drone able to unleash a "radioactive tsunami", as it...

Next Post
US Navy Kicks Off ICEX 2020

Russia and China eye NATO's 'Arctic Achilles heel'

Latest Defense News

Russia says fired anti-ship missiles at mock target in Sea of Japan

Russia says fired anti-ship missiles at mock target in Sea of Japan

March 28, 2023
Lockheed Developing Long Range Maneuverable Fires Missile For US Army

Lockheed Developing Long Range Maneuverable Fires Missile For US Army

March 28, 2023
Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine around late March: Germany

Germany delivers Leopard tanks to Ukraine

March 28, 2023
EU warns Belarus opening door to Russian nukes after vote

Kremlin says won’t change plans on Belarus nuclear weapons

March 28, 2023
Ahead of talks, North Korea says fired ‘new’ sub-launched missile

North Korea says it tested new underwater nuclear attack ‘drone’

March 24, 2023
China Naval Modernization: Implications for US Navy

Chinese military says ‘warned’ US warship to leave S. China Sea

March 24, 2023

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • Philippine Navy Discussion and Updates
  • Russia and the West
  • Italian Air Force Update and Topic
  • Japan, Koreas, China and Taiwan regional issues
  • Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) News and Discussions
  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Foreign Interference in Canada
  • NZDF General discussion thread
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com