According to Economics Minister Robert Habeck (The Greens), the power plant operators were also in favor of a final end to nuclear energy in 2022. picture alliance/dpa/Kay Nietfeld
Were Germany’s major energy companies for or against ending nuclear energy?
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (The Greens) recently emphasized that in discussions with companies such as RWE and EOn it was clear that a longer lifespan for the last German nuclear reactors was not desired.
Now the former E.On supervisory board chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley accuses Habeck of talking “nonsense”.
Were politicians and industry alike of the opinion that the last nuclear reactors in Germany should be shut down in 2022 despite the gas crisis? Or were they not?
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (The Greens) recently emphasized that companies like RWE and E.On had no interest in continuing to operate the last three German nuclear power plants. After an “open-ended” review, the final nuclear phase-out was finally decided.
In fact, RWE boss Markus Krebber told “Welt” in June 2022 about a debate on term extensions: “I am a little surprised about the debate, especially about the timing. (…) “We have to bring the new technologies on board and not have discussions about whether something will run for a month longer.”
Was Habeck talking “nonsense”?
A representation that the former EOn supervisory board chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley now contradicts. The fact that the federal government was of the opinion in its audit report of March 7, 2022 that the 4.4 gigawatt power plant output was not relevant for the energy supply and that regulatory and technical hurdles would make an extension of the service life impossible is “both nonsense”.
According to Kley, if the nuclear power plants had continued to operate, 15 million tons of coal would not have had to be converted into electricity. In Kley’s opinion, electricity prices would have fallen during the gas crisis.
What Kley doesn’t understand about Habeck’s communication on nuclear energy
“Eon had a very clear position,” said Kley in an interview with ntv. “That meant: The decision to keep nuclear power plants running is not a technical question, but a political one. Technically, Eon would make everything possible, but the political decision would have to be made solely at the federal government level. The sooner it falls, the better it would be.” This position has been communicated to the ministries involved many times.
The issue of nuclear power is now over in Germany, Kley continued. In the direction of Habeck, he continued: “What I don’t understand, however, is why he doesn’t simply say that he absolutely doesn’t want nuclear energy. And that’s why consent to continued operation was never an option for him. That would be the truth. And then he wouldn’t have to interpret all sorts of emails and protocols up and down.”
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