Germans having second look at use of nuclear energy

Germans are not ready yet to mothball their country’s 17 nuclear power plants despite government plans to gradually abandon atomic energy by the year 2021.

While opinion polls continue to indicate that most Germans remain opposed to nuclear energy, the momentum is slowly shifting in favor of the pro-atomic power camp, especially after the Russian gas crises over the past two winters.


Prospects of a severe oil and gas shortage have sparked again the nuclear debate in German homes which is an emotional issue to many people, particularly following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Germany’s conservative political leaders have caught on to the changing nationwide sentiment over the use of nuclear power, accounting presently for 26 percent of all energy consumption in the country.

IRNA