Merkel stands by deal to close German nuclear plants

Oct 9, 2006, 16:35 GMT

Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday vowed her government would stand by a deal under which all of Germany's nuclear power stations are to be closed in the next 15 years.

'We avow this coalition agreement,' said Merkel in a bid to smooth over discord in her government over the future of nuclear power after an 'energy summit' with leading German utilities.

Merkel and most members of her Christian Democratic alliance (CDU/CSU) oppose a law under which Germany's 17 remaining nuclear power stations are to be shut by 2021.

The chancellor noted that nuclear power was expanding globally but was careful not to repeat her support for the German nuclear sector.

Merkel's CDU secretary general Ronald Pofalla stressed that conservatives had opposed the 2002 law banning nuclear power passed under former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's left-leaning Social Democratic (SPD)-Greens government.

But the SPD, which now serves in Merkel's grand coalition, insists the phase-out of old plants and ban on new nuclear power stations must remain in place. This has been included in the coalition pact between both blocs making it a taboo issue for the government.

Merkel appears determined to keep the nuclear issue off the agenda, even though it is a crucial element in deciding exactly what energy mix Germany needs for the coming decades to ensure energy security and cut emissions.

Last year, nuclear power provided over 26 per cent of Germany's electricity. Energy companies are eager to extend the operating time for nuclear stations beyond 2021.

No formal decisions were taken at Monday's meeting. The government is due to issue its blueprint energy law late in 2007.

Merkel said Germany would make energy security a top issue when it takes over the European Union presidency for the first half of next year as well as the presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations.

Energy issues would also top the agenda at a European Union summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Lahti, Finland on October 20, she said.