Germany shuts down its last nuclear power plants

The German government has confirmed plans to go through with the shutdown of the country’s remaining nuclear power plants this weekend, cutting off a key source of energy despite the loss of Russian natural gas. The last three reactors – Emsland in northwest Germany and Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 in the south – will be idled for good on Saturday, completing a phase-out of nuclear power that began in 2002 and was accelerated after Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. Fossil fuels are filling the void, with output from coal-fired plants accounting for over 31% of power supplies. Germany is also ramping up imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), including cargoes from the US. Scholz has warned that Germany will need to install four to five new wind turbines each day over the next few years to meet its power-supply needs.

Environmentalists have pressed to keep Scholz’s government on course with the nuclear phase-out, but most Germans oppose the move. A poll shared on Friday by public broadcaster ARD showed that 59% of Germans believe The German government has confirmed plans to go through with the shutdown of the country’s remaining nuclear power plants this weekend, cutting off a key source of energy despite the loss of Russian natural gas. The last three reactors – Emsland in northwest Germany and Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 in the south – will be idled for good on Saturday, completing a phase-out of nuclear power that began in 2002 and was accelerated after Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. Fossil fuels are filling the void, with output from coal-fired plants accounting for over 31% of power supplies. Germany is also ramping up imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), including cargoes from the US.

Scholz has warned that Germany will need to install four to five new wind turbines each day over the next few years to meet its power-supply needs. Environmentalists have pressed to keep Scholz’s government on course with the nuclear phase-out, but most Germans oppose the move. A poll shared on Friday by public broadcaster ARD showed that 59% of Germans believe