nuclear-news

Angela Merkel denies secret nuclear deal – do we believe her?

Tens of thousands are expected to take part in a mass anti-nuclear rally in Berlin on Sept. 18……..

German govt spokesman rejects charges of secret pact* Merkel’s party loses support after nuclear extension By Erik KirschbaumBERLIN, Sept 10 (Reuters) – The German government denied on Friday charges that it had made a secretive deal to cap safety costs for utility firms as part of an agreement to extend the lifespans of nuclear power plants.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert dismissed accusations by the opposition Social Democrat and Greens parties that the government made a secret pact limiting the costs of safety upgrades to 500 million euros per reactor…….
It is the most controversial decision Merkel has made because most Germans oppose extending nuclear power. An opinion poll on Friday also showed 61 percent are opposed to extending the use of nuclear power and only 33 percent support it.

Merkel’s conservatives slumped one point in the poll to 32 percent — one ahead of the SPD. The Greens, who are leading the opposition to nuclear power, rose a point to 17 percent.

“This is a dirty deal,” said Greens parliamentary leader Renate Kuenast.

SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel added: “Never before has a German government so audaciously sold off public safety.”

The nuclear issue contributed to Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) losing control of North Rhine-Westphalia in May and could cause the CDU to lose Baden-Wuerttemberg in March. The last SPD-Greens government passed a shutdown law in 2002.

The SPD and Greens plan to challenge the nuclear extension in court and vow to rescind it if they return to power in 2013.

Tens of thousands are expected to take part in a mass anti-nuclear rally in Berlin on Sept. 18……..

The utilities — E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall — would also be able to reduce renewable energy investments if a nuclear fuel element tax worth 2.3 billion euros per year is extended by 2016.

German govt denies secret nuclear power deal | Energy & Oil | Reuters

September 10, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, reactors