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Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors on 15 April, marking the end of its nuclear power era.

Despite many western countries investing in atomic energy to reduce their emissions, Germany has abandoned nuclear power as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels. Germany has been looking to move away from nuclear power since 2002 and has a powerful anti-nuclear movement. “The risks of nuclear power are ultimately unmanageable,” said Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, who this week made a pilgrimage to the ill-fated Japanese plant ahead of a G7 meeting in the country.

Anti-nuclear demonstrators have taken to the streets in several German cities to highlight the closures, and Greenpeace organised a celebration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. “We are putting an end to a dangerous, unsustainable and costly technology,” said Green MP Juergen Trittin.

The three final plants provided just 6% of Germany’s energy last year, compared with 30.8% from all nuclear plants in 1997. The minister is now focused on getting Germany to produce 80% of its energy from renewables by 2030. To achieve this, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the installation of “four to five wind turbines a day” over the next few years, which could prove challenging given that just 551 were installed last year.

Germany’s exit from nuclear power marks the end of an era and a significant step towards managing the country’s energy crisis and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Despite planning its nuclear exit, Germany has not “pushed ahead enough with the expansion of renewables in the last 10 years”, Simon Mueller from the Agora Energiewende think tank told AFP. To build enough wind capacity, Germany now has to “pull out all the stops” says Mueller.

based on Germany ends nuclear era as last reactors power down, EURACTIV, euractiv.com/section/energy/news/germany-ends-nuclear-era-as-last-reactors-power-down/

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Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

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Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

In this issue

Making the most of waste heat

Editorial: EU could be powered by recycled heat

Germany shuts down last three nuclear reactors, ending nuclear power era

Global heating threatens northern forests

Unlocking the potential of ocean energy

A quantative take on Russian forests

Ocean acidification in the climate negotiations

The forefront of cleaner, people-centred cities

The Swedish Greenwashing Prize – more than a decade of ironic awards highlighting misleading claims

The EU needs to do more to reduce methane emissions

E-fuels are a detour on our way to decarbonisation

Green incentives are at the heart as UK rolls out its CAP replacement

Nitrogen deposition threat to 60 per cent of European ecosystems

Dramatic vanishing of polar sea ice and ice sheets

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

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