Nuclear Energy & Germany

I think Germany should stay on track to phase nuclear out as scheduled by April 2023. As cited in the video by DW news, only 6% of Germany’s energy is generated by nuclear energy. Even in the event of an energy crisis, because there exists a large lag time between planning and operation of the plants, nuclear power would not be an immediate solution to the problem. Additionally, if this method of energy generation currently only makes up 6%, there would need to be a significant jump in the number of plants in order to make up for any loss caused by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which is an unrealistic expectation.

Additionally, considering the long list of negative effects that nuclear could have, some of which are uncontrollable, this energy option could jeopardize hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. The Fukushima disaster in Japan serves as an example of this. A natural disaster in Japan essentially led to what is recognized as the most severe nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Though Germany does not have the same predispositions for earthquakes and tsunamis, any natural disaster, such as the floods we learned about last class, could disrupt the nuclear power systems and potentially cause an accident. The effects of a nuclear disaster have greater economic implications than the potential energy-related effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, especially considering again the statistic that nuclear energy currently only makes up 6% of total energy production. From a political economy perspective as well, just because nuclear energy seems to be economically efficient on paper, it does not mean that it is the best option because social welfare must also be considered. In this case, public safety could be an example of social welfare, which would be jeopardized more with nuclear than some other form of energy generation.

My party, SPD, leans center-left. Because they lean generally to the left, I think they would be on board for phasing out nuclear power. However, because they are not purely left-leaning, I think they would be ok with pushing the timeline back to 2036, rather than needing to stick to the original deadline of April 2023. Generally, it seems like their goal is to rely more on renewable sources, as they have made public statements that they would like Germany to generate 65% of its energy through renewable sources by 2030. In the face of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, I think they would push for relying more on renewable energy perhaps even sooner than 2030, rather than defaulting to nuclear energy.