End of 'Nuclear Era', says Germany after closure of three power plants
Apr 16, 2023
Berlin [Germany], April 16 : Germany shut down its three nuclear power plants, marking the end of the "nuclear era" that has spanned more than six decades, CNN reported.
Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, Steffi Lemke, said that the position of the country is "clear". Nuclear energy is not green nor sustainable energy.
"We are embarking on a new era of energy production," she said.
In Germany, there are debates on closing nuclear energy as there are some who want to end reliance on technology and view it as unsustainable, dangerous and a distraction from speeding up renewable energy. Meanwhile, others see that closing down nuclear plants is short-sighted, reported CNN.
They see it as turning off the tap on a reliable source of low-carbon energy at a time when drastic cuts to planet-heating pollution are needed.
According to Al-Jazeera, Berlin finally made good on its promise to permanently abandon nuclear power after Japan's Fukushima accident in 2011 terrified the entire globe by sending radiation gushing into the air.
Apparently, the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow disrupted the energy markets, delaying Germany's nuclear exit until this year.
However, due to Germany's decision to stop importing Russian fossil fuels as a result of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the full wind-down was postponed from last year to this year.
Prices skyrocketed and there were concerns about global energy shortages, but now Germany is optimistic about the petrol supply and the rise of renewable energy sources, reported Al Jazeera.
Due to residual concerns about a Cold War battle and nuclear tragedies like Chornobyl in Ukraine, the decision to leave was well received in a nation with a strong anti-nuclear movement.
The anti-nuclear movement's driving force, Greenpeace, hosted a gala to honour the occasion near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. "Finally, nuclear energy belongs to history! Let's make this April 15 a day to remember," the organisation said, according to Al Jazeera.
