Protests Erupt as Germany Closes Last Nuclear Power Plants

On Saturday, demonstrations were held in Berlin and Munich against the impending closure of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants.

The closure of the three reactors marks the end of Germany’s nuclear power plants, with the government’s environmentally friendly agenda prompting the shutdown just before midnight local time.

As per a report, the three remaining reactors, Meiler Isar 2 in Bavaria, Emsland in Lower Saxony and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg, have been gradually decommissioned by the power companies over the past few days and will soon be disconnected from the national power grid.

Following the disconnection from the power grid, the reactors will be permanently shut down and are unlikely to be reactivated.

The termination of nuclear power in Germany is being applauded by the country’s radical left-wing, with the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany commemorating the day with a “nuclear phase-out festival” in Munich.

Despite the pro-government demonstration, pro-nuclear protests were also held in Munich and beneath the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

According to reports, pro-nuclear organization Nuklearia supported the demonstrations on Saturday and said, “Even if Germany shuts down its last nuclear power plants, ignoring science and the majority of voters, our nuclear power plants can be reactivated and can continue to supply clean electricity for many decades.”

Meanwhile, officials within the environmentally conscious German government have asserted that the termination of nuclear power will signify the commencement of a renewable energy era in the country.

Given that Germany is currently grappling with a severe energy crisis and green technologies have been unable to compensate for the shortfall created by the limited availability of Russian oil and gas following the invasion of Ukraine, such a statement is hard to believe.

The majority of Germans do not support the shutdown, with almost 60% of the public believing that discontinuing nuclear power at present is a misstep and only 34% view it positively.

Certain groups have cautioned that the shutdown will result in energy shortages, further damaging businesses in the country that are already grappling with soaring operating costs and rising energy prices.

Earlier this week, President of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Peter Adrian, cautioned that energy expenses remained high for most companies in Germany, despite the decrease in gas prices. He emphasized that the country was not yet “out of the woods” in terms of securing its power supply.