(Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signaled that his government might consider extending the life of the country’s three remaining nuclear plants as it seeks to bolster its energy security.

“The economy minister has commissioned an intensified worst-case scenario calculation. Let’s have a look at that,” Scholz said, when asked Friday whether he might reconsider Germany’s decision to switch off the units at the end of the year.

Germany, the European Union’s largest economy, is at the center of an energy crisis that has gripped the bloc. EU governments have been racing to find alternative supplies ahead of winter, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent fuel and power prices to record levels earlier this year. The supply crunch continues to have ripple effects in the broader economy.

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Economy Minister Robert Habeck has commissioned a new stress test for Germany’s energy infrastructure, after an earlier assessment concluded that the country’s supply wouldn’t be endangered next winter and that nuclear power plants wouldn’t be needed. 

“We will once again calculate now and will then decide on the basis of clear facts,” a government spokeswoman said, regarding a possible extension of nuclear power.

Behind the scenes, the coalition parties in Scholz’s government have indicated they may be willing to agree to a political deal that would allow passage of the controversial measure.

‘National Compromise’

In the past, the Greens, which include Habeck, have ruled out extending the operating time of the nuclear plants. For the first time, the party is now considering the possibility. Should Germany expect gas scarcity next winter, “all measures will be put back on the table,” Green Party co-leader Ricarda Lang told public broadcaster ARD.

One possibility might be through a “national compromise” that could draw in several different issues, according to Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the CDU-led conservative bloc in parliament.

For example, should the Greens agree to an extension of nuclear energy, the liberal FDP party could perhaps end their opposition to a speed limit on highways. If the Greens are amendable to such a compromise, “then we should also be able to talk about a speed limit,” Spahn told ARD. 

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