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BERLIN, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The German government announced early
Monday a plan to shut down all its 17 nuclear power plants by 2022
after a twelve-hour discussion within the ruling coalition.
Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said the seven oldest nuclear
power plants, which had already been suspended after the Fukushima
disaster in March, and the Kruemmel nuclear power plant will be
permanently shut down.
He said another six plants will be closed by 2021, while the newest three
power stations will be kept operating until 2022 as standby power, in case
for a possible shortage of power supply after the shutdown of all nuclear
power plants, which generate about 23 percent of the country's all
energy.
"This decision is consistent, decisive and clear," Roettgen said, "There will
be no clause for revision."
This decision has overthrown the plan approved by the German
government last year to extend the deadline for its nuclear power plants
to around 2035 from 2022 which was made by its predecessor.
Since Japan's nuclear crisis, voices of phasing-out nuclear power from
German public and opposition parties have risen to an unprecedented high
level, pushing Germany's Green party to win the local election of state
Baden-Wuerttemberg, which was a stronghold for the conservatives.
To facilitate policy adjustment, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also
assigned two commissions to inspect German nuclear power plants from
technical and ethical sides in March.
The ethical commission provided a report to Merkel on Saturday, which
says to make Germany exit nuclear power within 10 years. The report will
be made public on Monday.
Monday a plan to shut down all its 17 nuclear power plants by 2022
after a twelve-hour discussion within the ruling coalition.
Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said the seven oldest nuclear
power plants, which had already been suspended after the Fukushima
disaster in March, and the Kruemmel nuclear power plant will be
permanently shut down.
He said another six plants will be closed by 2021, while the newest three
power stations will be kept operating until 2022 as standby power, in case
for a possible shortage of power supply after the shutdown of all nuclear
power plants, which generate about 23 percent of the country's all
energy.
"This decision is consistent, decisive and clear," Roettgen said, "There will
be no clause for revision."
This decision has overthrown the plan approved by the German
government last year to extend the deadline for its nuclear power plants
to around 2035 from 2022 which was made by its predecessor.
Since Japan's nuclear crisis, voices of phasing-out nuclear power from
German public and opposition parties have risen to an unprecedented high
level, pushing Germany's Green party to win the local election of state
Baden-Wuerttemberg, which was a stronghold for the conservatives.
To facilitate policy adjustment, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also
assigned two commissions to inspect German nuclear power plants from
technical and ethical sides in March.
The ethical commission provided a report to Merkel on Saturday, which
says to make Germany exit nuclear power within 10 years. The report will
be made public on Monday.