Germany’s last nuclear power plants likely to operate until April 2023

BERLIN (AA) - Germany is planning to keep the country’s last two nuclear plants running until mid-April, but this will not change its general plan to phase out nuclear power, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said on Wednesday.

​​​​​​​“I think it’s reasonable to keep these two nuclear power plants connected to the grid for a few more months,” she told n-tv television, backing the Energy Ministry’s plan to postpone the closure of all remaining nuclear plants originally set for the end of this year.

Lemke said Germany can keep the Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim nuclear plants running for several months to prevent energy shortages in the winter, but ruled out extending nuclear power use for a longer period.

“An extension of several years would not be a responsible move,” she said, also underlining that a final decision has to be taken by the German parliament.

Germany decided to stop using nuclear energy in 2011, following the Fukushima disaster in Japan. The country’s last three nuclear power plants were scheduled to be shut down by the end of this year.

But Energy Minister Robert Habeck announced on Tuesday that the Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim nuclear plants will not be taken off grid at the end of this year. He said the ministry and the operators have reached an agreement to keep them ready until mid-April to prevent an energy shortage, as neighboring France may not export sufficient power to Germany during the winter months.​​​​​​​