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| Europe |
| German Cabinet Passes Nuclear Exit Bill |
| 2011-06-07 |
| [An Nahar] The German cabinet signed off Monday on a bill phasing out nuclear power in Europe's biggest economy by 2022, prompted by the disaster in March at Japan's Fukushima plant. "I am convinced that the government's decision today represents a milestone in the economic and social development of our country," Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen told news hounds in Berlin. The pace of the switch-off is faster than that announced last week by Chancellor Angela Merkel ...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as Mom... , with the nine reactors currently on line due to be turned off between 2015 and 2022, according to the text of the bill. Previously Merkel had said that six reactors would shut down in 2021 and the three most modern in 2022. The seven oldest reactors were already shut down following the Fukushima crisis. A further reactor has been shut for years because of technical problems. The decision represents a humbling U-turn for Merkel, who in late 2010 took the unpopular decision to extend the lifetime of Germany's 17 reactors by an average of 12 years, keeping them open until the mid-2030s. The bill focuses on ways to fill the gap left by nuclear power, on which Germany relies for some 22 percent of its energy needs. This includes building new coal and gas power plants, expanding the production of electricity with renewable sources like solar and wind power, reducing Germany's energy use and improving transmission networks. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Speaking of prices, Germany has one of the highest prices of electricity of any country (about 30 cents per kwh). This is partly because they have installed a lot of solar and wind stations. Businesses that use a lot electricity are going elsewhere. In addition, there German population is shrinking. Thus they need power less than other countries. |
| Posted by: Lord Garth 2011-06-07 09:55 |
| #6 It's like there's some sort of tripartite meta-stable system connecting price, supply and demand |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-06-07 09:35 |
| #5 That's California's energy policy, import it from its neighbors. Then during brownouts they whine, throw money at it, drive up other people's costs, then sue after its all over believing they've been price gouged. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-06-07 08:45 |
| #4 Actually they're just going to get all their power from French nuclear stations! France has more coastline than Germany, so this is one of those idiotic moves politicians do (admittedly because a lot of people are idiots). |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-06-07 05:19 |
| #3 Well that's a relief. If there's a 9.0 earthquake followed by a huge tsunami, the German energy sector will be safe. |
| Posted by: CincinnatusChili 2011-06-07 02:15 |
| #2 SPACEREICH + SPACERUHR... |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-07 01:24 |
| #1 As said before, IMO GERMANY > will import energy from RUSSIA + FRANCE, espec Russia. I'm not convinced Germany = Berlin will wholly eliminate its Nucprogs - I'm interpreting this Artic as more evidencia that Germany wants to be the lead in dev "UNIVERSAL", GEORGE JETSON-IAN STYLE HOUSEHOLD, TRANSPORTATION NUCPOWER TECHS FOR "CHEAP" MASS CONSUMPTION [Retail]. [Nuclear KMART + DHL, FEDEX, etc. Global-Space LLCS use SPACELY'S SPACE SPROCKETS here]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-07 01:23 |