https://www.npr.org/2023/04/15/1170244609/germany-begins-powering-down-nuclear-plants Accessibility links * Skip to main content * Keyboard shortcuts for audio player * Open Navigation Menu * NPR logo * * * NPR Shop * > Close Navigation Menu * Home * News Expand/collapse submenu for News + National + World + Politics + Business + Health + Science + Climate + Race * Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture + Books + Movies + Television + Pop Culture + Food + Art & Design + Performing Arts + Life Kit * Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music + Tiny Desk + #NowPlaying + All Songs Considered + Music Features + Live Sessions * Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily + [morning-ed] Morning Edition + [we_otheren] Weekend Edition Saturday + [we_otheren] Weekend Edition Sunday + [all-things] All Things Considered + [fresh-air] Fresh Air + [up-first] Up First Featured + [takingcove] Taking Cover + [ltar_s2_ti] Louder Than A Riot + [ibam_tile-] It's Been a Minute + [life-kit_t] Life Kit + More Podcasts & Shows * Search * * NPR Shop * NPR Music NPR Music * Tiny Desk * #NowPlaying * All Songs Considered * Music Features * Live Sessions * About NPR * Diversity * Organization * Support * Careers * Connect * Press * Ethics Germany's begins powering down its last nuclear plants Public pressure, stoked by disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, put pressure on successive German governments to end their use. Germany began winding down the plants Saturday. Europe Germany begins powering down its last three nuclear plants * Facebook * Flipboard * Email Updated April 15, 202312:41 PM ET Originally published April 15, 2023 6:04 AM ET By The Associated Press [ap23103771] Enlarge this image Water vapor rises from the nuclear power plant Isar II in Essenbach, Germany, on March 3, 2022. Armin Weigel/AP hide caption toggle caption Armin Weigel/AP Water vapor rises from the nuclear power plant Isar II in Essenbach, Germany, on March 3, 2022. Armin Weigel/AP BERLIN -- Germany began winding down its three remaining nuclear power plants Saturday as part of a long-planned transition toward renewable energy, drawing cheers from environmentalists who campaigned for the move. The shutdown of the reactors Emsland, Neckarwestheim II and Isar II, agreed to more than a decade ago, was being closely watched abroad. Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, are counting on nuclear energy to replace planet-warming fossil fuels. Germany's decision to stop using both has met some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown. California lawmakers extend the life of the state's last nuclear power plant National California lawmakers extend the life of the state's last nuclear power plant Decades of anti-nuclear protests in Germany, stoked by disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, put pressure on successive governments to end the use of a technology that critics argue is unsafe and unsustainable. Environmental groups planned to mark the day with celebrations outside the three reactors and rallies in major cities, including Berlin. Small, closed-doors ceremonies inside the plants were also organized. Defenders of atomic energy say fossil fuels should be phased out first as part of global efforts to curb climate change, arguing that nuclear power produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions and is safe, if properly managed. Europe France ramps up nuclear power as Germany closes plants in the name of clean energy As energy prices spiked last year due to the war in Ukraine, some members of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government got cold feet about closing the nuclear plants as planned on Dec. 31, 2022. In a compromise, Scholz agreed to a one-time extension of the deadline, but insisted that the final countdown would happen on April 15. Still, Bavaria's conservative governor, Markus Soeder, who backed the original deadline set in 2011 when Chancellor Angela Merkel was Germany's leader, this week called the shutdown "an absolute mistaken decision." "While many countries in the world are even expanding nuclear power, Germany is doing the opposite," Soeder said. "We need every possible form of energy. Otherwise, we risk higher electricity prices and businesses moving away." Advocates of nuclear power worldwide have slammed the German shutdown, aware that the action by Europe's biggest economy could deal a blow to a technology they tout as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels. After the Fukushima disaster, Japan swore to phase out nuclear power. But not anymore Asia After the Fukushima disaster, Japan swore to phase out nuclear power. But not anymore The German government has acknowledged that, in the short term, the country will have to rely more heavily on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs, even as it takes steps to massively ramp up electricity production from solar and wind. Germany aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. But officials such as Environment Minister Steffi Lemke say the idea of a nuclear renaissance is a myth, citing data showing that atomic energy's share of global electricity production is shrinking. At a recent news conference in Berlin, Lemke noted that building new nuclear plants in Europe, such as Hinkley Point C in Britain, has faced significant delays and cost overruns. Funds spent on maintaining ageing reactors or building new ones would be better spent on installing cheap renewables, she argued. Experts such as Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin say the 5% share of Germany's electricity currently coming from its remaining three reactors can be easily replaced without risking blackouts. A nuclear power plant leaked contaminated water in Minnesota. Here's what we know Energy A nuclear power plant leaked contaminated water in Minnesota. Here's what we know The northwestern town of Lingen, home to the Emsland plant, plans to become a hub for hydrogen production using cheap electricity generated from North Sea wind farms, Mayor Dieter Krone told The Associated Press in an interview this week. The power plant's operator, RWE, has made clear that it is committed to the shutdown. The company still runs some of Europe's dirtiest coal-fired power plants. It recently pushed through the destruction of a village for a mine expansion as part of a plan to increase short-term production before ending coal use by 2030. Many of Germany's nuclear power plants will still be undergoing costly dismantling by then. The question of what to do with highly radioactive material accumulated in the 62 years since the country's first reactor started operating remains unsolved. Efforts to find a final home for hundreds of containers of toxic waste have faced fierce resistance from local groups and officials, including Soeder, the Bavarian governor. "Nuclear power supplied electricity for three generations, but its legacy remains dangerous for 30,000 generations," said Lemke, who also pointed to previously unconsidered risks such as the targeting of civilian atomic facilities during conflicts. Finding a place to safely store spent nuclear fuel is a problem that other nations using the technology face, including the United States. Still, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has said that nuclear power will "play a critical role in America's clean energy future." This week, she welcomed Japan's decision to restart many of its reactors. With a national debate raging again in Germany about whether the nuclear shutdown is really a good idea, the top official in charge of nuclear safety at the Environment Ministry, Gerrit Niehaus, was asked by a reporter to sum up in a single sentence what lessons should be learned from the country's brief atomic era. "You need to think things through to the end," Niehaus said. * nuclear power * Germany * Facebook * Flipboard * Email Read & Listen * Home * News * Culture * Music * Podcasts & Shows Connect * Newsletters * Facebook * Instagram * Press * Contact & Help About NPR * Overview * Diversity * Accessibility * Ethics * Finances * Public Editor * Corrections Get Involved * Support Public Radio * Sponsor NPR * NPR Careers * NPR Shop * NPR Events * NPR Extra * Terms of Use * Privacy * Your Privacy Choices * Text Only * Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor