Germany Considering Revival of Atomic Power

Germany will rethink its energy mix, including a possible revival of its nuclear programme which the previous government decided to phase out, a senior government official said on Thursday.

“We have to talk again of the use of nuclear,” said Joachim Wuermeling, Secretary of State at the German Economy and Technology Ministry.
Germany’s previous government aimed to end nuclear power production by around 2020 but Chancellor Angela Merkel said last week it was a mistake for the country to turn off nuclear power plants, even though her coalition government was committed to the plan.

“In Germany, the debate has never stopped but had not been led by the government,” Wuermeling told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

He added that the debate over nuclear had resumed as a direct consequence of a rise in energy demand, an increased dependency on energy resource imports, global warming and also in the light of technological progress in the nuclear sector.

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