The Nuclear Timeline: International Dependency vs Self-Sustainabilty
While the nuclear energy debate has been on the minds of German government for quite some time, nothing struck the Merkel administration as much as the Fukushima disaster. At the time, Germany had 15 operating plants and while they had efforts to descale, plans for deconstruction were decades in the future. The aftermath of the tragedy in Japan however, made them seriously reconsider their nuclear timeline, well within the timeframe of a few hundred/thousand years that nuclear waste persists on earth. The administration set a hard 2022 deadline and with its rapid efforts, shut done all expect three nuclear power plants.
Today is a different story. While during pre-war time, Russia seemed to be ever moving towards a global economy, selling its resources to the foreign market and maintaining a level of engagement without extreme interference. Germany, one of these European countries which heavily relying on energy imports from Russia, had no incentive to question where its energy came from; until Russia (unprovoking in nature and based on authoritarian reasons) invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. With NATO and the United states issuing heavy sanctions and anti-trade laws, Germany was forced to cut ties to its main energy source, putting the country in a precarious position.
Without the the generally cost effective natural gas from Russia’s Baltic sea northeaster pipeline, Germany was forced to turn towards the middle east for power at a premium price. This puts the government somewhat at odds against its citizens, who today, now 60% agree with keeping its three remaining nuclear power plants to offset the mounting cost of further foreign dependency instead of the adjusted plan to decommission in April of 2023. This is also been propelled by the potential energy crisis, with general fear that the will be no power in Germany at all.
“Atomkraft, Nein Danke?” has come into serious consideration. Should Germany continue with its plans to fully cut out nuclear power by this April? When reflecting on my own opinion, I strongly believe clear energy like this is far better than investing in even greater coal and natural gas reserves at a premium price. This specifically means reengaging into the 2036 plan, and reviving old nuclear power plants to better secure power for the country until the country can be self-sustaining without it.
Looking at the situation from the perspective of my assigned political party given to me through this course, Die Linke still believes in phasing out nuclear energy in its entirety. While this has been their opinion from 2010, it still persists today. The party itself may be quite small in comparison to its peers, it still has an impact on politics. Most of the other political parties agree with Die Linke’s sentiment, while many of the citizens of Germany may not. It will be fascinating to see what decisions fall this coming April.
Auf Wiedersehen und alles Gute!
Max Rajendran
