SUSTAINABILITY: Germany seeks to block EU recommendation on nuclear power

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  1. >German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) opposes calls from EU partners to classify nuclear energy as sustainable. “We don’t want nuclear energy, we don’t think it’s sustainable, and we don’t want the EU to support it either,” the acting minister told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers. All German nuclear reactors are to be taken off the grid by the end of 2022.
    The German position on this is clear, and “we are not the only ones who see it that way,” Schulze said. Nor has it been decided yet that this classification will come about, “even if France is currently putting forward its interests very loudly.” Nuclear power is not a solution in the fight against climate change, he said.
    “Building nuclear power plants is far too expensive and takes far too long for climate protection,” the minister said. “Suppose we decided to go back to nuclear power after all. You find a community that wants a nuclear power plant, you apply for the permits, you open up a major social conflict and then you build – there we are after 2045 until the thing is up. That does nothing for the climate.”
    CSU leader Markus Söder also rejected a return to nuclear power. “The decision to phase out nuclear power is based on broad social acceptance,” the Bavarian premier told the Funke newspapers.
    Various countries are pro nuclear power
    France, Poland and six other Eastern European countries are urging the EU Commission to recognize nuclear power as sustainable. Without nuclear power, the EU cannot become climate-neutral by 2050 as planned, advocates argue.
    According to Brussels diplomats, through intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, France has now convinced a majority of EU states that nuclear power should be part of the so-called taxonomy. This is a legal text from the EU Commission that investors around the world are eagerly awaiting. If the Brussels authority classifies nuclear energy as “sustainable” in a few weeks, it will be tantamount to a recommendation to the financial markets to invest in nuclear plants.Schulze said she had the impression that some people had forgotten why Germany was phasing out nuclear power: “There were two major accidents, Chernobyl and Fukushima. We made a conscious decision not to do that anymore because it’s too dangerous in a densely populated country like Germany.” What is needed now, he said, is a “real departure” in renewable energies. Söder called on the future German government to ensure a secure power supply. “There must be no blackout. We need a backup plan against blackouts in Germany,” the CSU leader stressed. “If blackouts threaten, the German economic engine will sputter. That’s why the core task of the new federal government is to prevent blackouts and advance the construction of power lines,” he warned.
    Söder in favor of a faster coal phase-out
    Söder believes that an early coal phase-out is feasible. According to European resolutions, coal would hardly be profitable after 2030, he argued. The possible traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP is also aiming for 2030 for the coal phase-out. So far, the coal phase-out has been agreed by 2038 at the latest.

    *** Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

  2. “We have decided we do not want nuclear energy…”

    – OK, strange choice but you do you.

    “… and we do not want anyone else to have it either.”

    – Now, hold on a minute…

  3. Strange how it’s always the financial argument that’s being used when bashing green nuclear power. The means justify the ends.

  4. The UK has issues with calling Nuclear renewable or green energy. So we used the term clean energy.

    This is specifically to avoid the confusion with green financing. Which excludes nuclear in financial markets.

  5. Is Germany sabotaging Europe on all fronts?

    Nord Stream 2 with Russia
    Blocking nuclear power
    and their NGO ships are smuggling illegals in Mediterranean

  6. The argument that it’s too expensive is so stupid, standardising design across a large market like Europe would bring down costs so much since every reactor wouldn’t need to be custom designed. The perspective that it takes too much time to build is kind of valid, but i don’t see Germany suggesting any alternative solutions so…

  7. >You find a community that wants a nuclear power plant, you apply for the permits, you open up a major social conflict and then you build – there we are after 2045 until the thing is up

    Bullshit. They should just admit they were wrong and build the things. Shouldn’t take more than 5-10 years.

  8. Can we circumvent Germany’s opinion on that one? I’m curious, is that kind of decision taken with simple majority and by which institution within EU?

  9. Aside from the expense of building nuclear power plants (which I’d argue is trivial compared to the costs of climate change), the length of time needed to build them is often brought up as an argument against them. But it seems like that view ignores the fact that we don’t just need to replace fossil fuels, we are also going to need to generate much more electricity in the near future, particularly if we’re actually going to electrify our transportation, which seems to be the plan.

  10. Fck’in’ hell.. Germans can’t even figure out their shitty internet, and they’re talking about Nuclear energy…

    At some point, research the science i don’t know

  11. Nuclear power yes, but under the same conditions as everybody: Make sure the waste is stored safely (that needs to go into the price!) and above all: Make the owners of those plants have proper insurances for all the risks their plant poses to the environment. Then we can talk.

  12. Germany is doing this to pressure others to acknowledge gas as green. Very low tactics, but hey, this is what you do when you’re waist deep in shit.

    Like a wise Finnish man once said: “Germany is a shit country.”

  13. Why is my country always led by lunatics?

    At this point, I am convinced that it is either gross incompetence, rampant corruption, or just straight up malice that guides them.

  14. German politicians who opt for Russian gas instead of nuclear energy should be considered as sold traitors inside of nation, there’s just no logic in it.
    Pigs paid by Gazprom will do anything to block nuclear energy

  15. You simply can’t get a majority in Germany supporting nuclear, and the government reflects that. Simple as that.

    It’s sad, but it’s the way it is.

    But also, my government (Germany) could fuck off blocking this path for other countries.

    PS: France, fuck off with your nuclear plants near our border. Thanks.

  16. Nuclear isn’t ideal and ideally we get rid of it. But it is a great way to get to net zero emissions at least in the next decades while we look for even safer ways to generate renewables like fusion or thorium fission.
    Doing just solar and wind is not feasible I believe. Take a country like the Netherlands. Very small surface area and already struggling with land allocation. There is already too little space for housing, agriculture, recreation, and many of its current problems stem from this single problem. We would have to put windmills virtually everywhere and people do not want windmills in their backyards. We do not have that much sun either.

  17. Sometimes I really hate my country. This is one of those moments.

    Ideology above logic, as always. Not enough to fuck ourselves, no no, we need to fuck the entirety of Europe, too.

    So sorry, people. Just remember most our politicians didn‘t finish school, and if their CV says otherwise, its most likely falsification of a document or forgery of such even.

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