The German debate over whether to shut down the country’s three nuclear power facilities is being driven by growing worry about the consequences of a potential Russian gas cutoff.
After the Economy Ministry launched a new stress test on the security of electrical supply in mid-July, a crack formed in the door. The current test was expected to be more difficult than the one done in May, which determined that supplies would endure.
Russia has cut by half the quantity of natural gas it is supplying to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline since the crisis in Ukraine erupted. The German government used technical obstacles to justify a political power play, claiming that these challenges were simply designed to postpone the inevitable. Russia has recently supplied around one-third of Germany’s gas needs, and there are worries that this may alter in the future.
Much is spoken in support of maintaining safe and environmentally benign nuclear power facilities and, if required, operating them until 2024.
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Germany is considering shutting down its nuclear power facilities in response to Russia’s move to cut off natural gas supplies to the nation.
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