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Germany struggles over question of its aging, dilapidated nuclear facilities

“There is no reason to negotiate with the nuclear power companies,” ….“A fuel tax is not needed to pay for extending the life of the plants but to keep the taxpayers from footing the bill of up to €10 billion for refurbishing old, dilapidated waste storage facilities.”….

analysts argue that the more Germany expands the renewable energy sector, whether for domestic consumption or exporting the equipment, the greater the potential for creating jobs.

Merkel Takes an ‘Energy Trip’, By JUDY DEMPSEY NYTimes.com, August 18, 2010 BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing intense pressure from nuclear power companies to extend the life of their plants, began a cross-country tour Wednesday before deciding on a long-term energy policy with far-reaching implications for Germany, which has Europe’s largest economy……

The German nuclear lobby is dominated by four companies: RWE, E.ON, EnBW and Vattenfall. In the past few weeks, they have been campaigning aggressively to persuade the public to vote to reverse a law enacted in 2002 by the Social Democratic-Green government at the time that would shut all the country’s 17 nuclear plants by 2022.

The companies also want the government to scrap plans to impose a new tax on fuel rods. They even threatened this week to close their facilities if the tax, due to be voted on by the cabinet next month, is introduced………

Sigmar Gabriel, the leader of the Social Democrats, now in the opposition, has told Mrs. Merkel to quit negotiating with the nuclear power lobby.

“There is no reason to negotiate with the nuclear power companies,” Mr. Gabriel said. “A fuel tax is not needed to pay for extending the life of the plants but to keep the taxpayers from footing the bill of up to €10 billion for refurbishing old, dilapidated waste storage facilities.”

Renate Künast, a parliamentary leader of the Green Party, also now in the opposition, accused the four nuclear energy companies of treating Germany as if it were their fief.

“The four big energy companies are acting like the four occupying powers,” Ms. Künast said, referring to France, Britain, Russia and the United States, which occupied Germany after 1945. She said the nuclear companies “have divided up the country into four zones and are trying to push through their interests.”…

Jürgen Trittin, a Green leader and former environment minister, dismissed fears that Germany’s energy security would be compromised. Demand for renewable energy keeps increasing.

And the current environment minister, Norbert Röttgen from Mrs. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, said this month that the government was committed to increasing the share of renewable energy in gross domestic consumption to nearly 20 percent by 2020, compared with about 10 percent today…..

analysts argue that the more Germany expands the renewable energy sector, whether for domestic consumption or exporting the equipment, the greater the potential for creating jobs.

According to the environment ministry, more than 250,000 people work in the renewable energy sector. Renewable energy accounts for 8.7 percent of the total primary energy supply but accounts for 15.6 percent of electricity generation.

August 19, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, reactors