German Minister Opens Door to Nuclear Extension

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(Bloomberg) — German Economy Minister Robert Habeck opened the door a crack to the possibility of keeping the country’s nuclear plants running longer as Europe moves to cut its dependence on Russian energy.

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The nation’s last three nuclear reactors are slated to go off line this year under an exit strategy overseen by former Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Habeck, who is a member of the Greens, has in the past ruled out any reversal of that plan.

However, as part of Germany’s strategy to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine, Habeck on Friday suggested he would at least reexamine a possible extension of the life of those plants

“We’ll look at that without any prejudices,” said Habeck, a former co-leader of the Greens. “We are continuously looking at all eventualities.”

Opposition to nuclear power has been a fundamental platform of Germany’s Greens. So far, the party has pushed back on proposals by its coalition partners to tap atomic power and coal to help Europe’s biggest economy through the current energy crisis

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner — a member of the business-friendly Free Democrats — has said the fallout from the war in Ukraine means the three ruling parties — including Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats — should consider whether nuclear power can play an “emergency role.”

Habeck may have shifted his position slightly, but still remains some way off backing nuclear plants. 

“For now I can say, no, that won’t help us in this situation,” Habeck said.

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