Political splits, demands emerge in wake of German nuclear decision

By Niels Sorrells Mar 16, 2011, 13:19 GMT

Berlin - Political and industrial leaders in Germany spent Wednesday trying to get their bearings on a world where the future of nuclear energy seemed increasingly uncertain.

Most questions revolved around whether a process implemented by the German government Tuesday that left eight of the country's 17 nuclear plants shuttered, at least temporarily, would extend into a permanent shutdown of all plants.

But mixed in with that was confusion over the legality of the proceedings - the decision to delay by three months a move to extend the lifetime of Germany's nuclear power plants. Additionally, it was unclear what, if any, fiscal impact the removal of taxes paid by nuclear power plants would have on Germany's budget.

Some members and allies of Germany's ruling coalition - which had bucked the overwhelmingly anti-nuclear mood of the German population last autumn with the nuclear extension - Wednesday said they would like to see all of Germany's power plants shut down as soon as possible.

Germany's Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen told the magazine Stern that he would like to see a quick shutdown, but noted that it would probably be about 15 years before Germany could be nuclear- free.

'If it was up to me, we would get out of nuclear energy earlier than agreed upon,' he told the magazine.

The nuclear extension signed into law last year would have allowed some nuclear reactors to run up to 12 years beyond 2022, when the previous law had demanded they shut down.

David McAllister, the premier of the state of Lower Saxony and a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also said events in Japan, which faces a potential nuclear meltdown after an earthquake and tsunami damaged nuclear power plants last week, have called into question the wisdom of nuclear power.

'Nuclear energy now has no real future. An orderly and planned exit remains the proper course,' he said.

But a government spokesman says it is too early to prejudge what should happen with Germany's nuclear power plants. The three-month moratorium would be used, said Steffen Seibert, for a thorough review of all the nuclear plants.

'It's impossible for me to tell you what the stance of things will be at the end of this three-month review,' said Seibert. 'This is a test without taboos.'

An Economics Ministry spokeswoman said there was sufficient power generation for Germany to survive three months without the shuttered power plants. Beyond that, she said, new evaluations would be necessary.

The question of nuclear power could play a key role in a series of upcoming state elections that could test the ability of the CDU to stay in power. If enough voters are angered at the CDU's nuclear policies, they could throw the party out of state governments.

That could reduce Merkel's power in the upper house, or Bundesrat, which is made up of state government representatives. It could also signal to her opponents on the national level that her national government is set to be taken down.

Nonetheless, a Forsa study for Stern showed Wednesday that 71 per cent of Germans see nuclear power as essential. Of those polled, 11 per cent want an immediate shutdown of Germany's nuclear power plants, while 52 per cent would want a shutdown within five years.

A spokesman for Eon, one of Germany's biggest power provider, which operates several nuclear power plants, said Wednesday that it has not felt the need to revise any of its earnings forecasts for this year due to any nuclear shutdowns.

Members of the political opposition also hinted that the government would have to see new legislation passed if it did indeed want to rethink last year's decision to extend nuclear running times. That could open up the floor for new deals on the topic.

Government officials insisted that existing legislation gave the government all the power it needed to temporarily shutter facilities for safety reviews.

But opponents retorted that, since legislation was needed last year to extend the lifetimes, new legislation would be needed to alter that timetable.

Read more about Germany Nuclear