Atomkraft, bitte?
Since Russia has ramped up its war with Ukraine in the past year, Germany’s main supply of energy — natural gas from Russia via the Nord Stream pipeline — has been cut off. With demand for energy increasing during the cold winter months, Germans have had to pay high prices for natural gas from other actors. This crisis has shifted the political discourse on energy in Germany, prompting several to reconsider the long-held opposition to nuclear power.
Concerning the German political economy, the 2023 nuclear phase out deadline must be postponed to the original 2036 plan because the conditions that once encouraged a quick phase out have drastically changed. In a time time when natural gas prices have increased by 80% since the start of the war in Ukraine, decreasing other cheaper (and more sustainable) energy options does not make sense. Instead of diminishing energy supplies within Germany, the country should prolong its nuclear use to guarantee its own energy supply and prevent an even worse crisis. 60% of the population favors this option, making it politically feasible. Although current policy is designed around the 2023 nuclear phase out, it must be altered to stay in use until the original 2036 plan, something not only doable but necessary to prevent high energy prices. In the past year many policies have had to be reconsidered and changed despite being burdensome, the same must be done for the nuclear phase out plan.
Immediate phase out also raises environmental concerns because the shift away from nuclear power (which does not emit greenhouse gas) has not coincided with a complete transition to renewable energy sources. The current sustainable energy alternatives to nuclear — solar and wind — do not have the infrastructure to support the country’s energy demands, so an even greater reliance on fossil fuel energy sources (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) is inevitable. Strong German disdain for nuclear power has encouraged fossil fuel use, an industry that has far more negative impacts on the environment and human populations than nuclear power. To avoid devastation to the planet and its inhabitants, nuclear energy should be prolonged and its use should be prioritized over fossil fuel energy sources until wind and solar power can support the country. Though nuclear power poses risks regarding potential nuclear disaster and toxic waste, the use of fossil fuels has far higher guaranteed negative ramifications and should not be used as an alternative to nuclear power.
Within the German parliament the CDU/CSU favors extending the use of nuclear energy, but has not succeeded in passing amendments in the Bundestag. Recently, the CDU/CSU proposed to continue the use of the last 3 operating power plants along with coal plants, but did not get enough parliamentary support. CDU representatives have cited “climate and energy security” as rationale for their position.
