German nuclear power operators reject calls to keep running plants longer
Handelsblatt
The operators of Germany鈥檚 six remaining nuclear power stations, utilities E.ON, RWE and EnBW, have rejected calls to keep the plants in operation beyond their scheduled shutdowns at the end of next year,聽聽financial daily Handelsblatt. "To start a debate in Germany shortly before shutdown about whether nuclear power plants make an important contribution to climate protection is disconcerting," E.ON CEO Leonhard Birnbaum told the newspaper. 鈥淚t comes much too late and doesn't help anybody.鈥� He added:聽鈥淭he legislature decided years ago that nuclear power has no future in Germany. Continuing to operate our nuclear power plants beyond the statutory deadline of 2022 is not an issue for us,聽and it stays聽that way."聽RWE also told the newspaper it considered the "chapter nuclear energy closed鈥�.
Georg Stamatelopoulos, who is in charge of EnBW鈥檚 renewable generation infrastructure, said: 鈥淭he phase-out from nuclear energy was decided in 2011 by political and social consensus and clearly regulated by law. The use of nuclear energy for electricity production is now a thing of the past in Germany."聽After the decision to exit聽nuclear power generation, EnBW worked out a long-term strategy聽to聽dismantle聽its power plants, which it has consistently implemented since then, Stamatelopoulos聽added. "The question of extending nuclear power plants' operating times and other hypothetical questions in this context therefore do not arise for EnBW." RWE also said it聽will聽shut down its two remaining plants聽in accordance with the deadlines.聽"After that, it's all about the safe and responsible dismantling of the plants,"聽the company said.
On the sidelines of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Germany and four other EU member states on Thursday called for a聽nuclear-free EU taxonomy聽for sustainable investments.
