Nuclear issue splits German election

| 7th September 2009
Greenpeace say nuclear is a distraction to the the real solutions
Greenpeace say nuclear is a distraction to the the real solutions

The majority of Germans oppose nuclear power

German leader's party plans to keep nuclear power stations open beyond 2020
 

An estimated 50,000 protesters took to the streets of Berlin at the weekend to demonstrate against plans to extend the life of nuclear power plants.

Under Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD) and Green Party administration in 2000, Germany decided to close down its 17 reactors by 2020.

But ahead of national elections on September 27, German leader Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party said it wants to scrap that decision and keep them open.

The SPD have been in coalition with the Merkel's Christian Democrat party for the past four years but oppose plans to extend the life of nuclear power stations.

According to a Greenpeace study released at the weekend, 59 percent of Germans are opposed to extending the life of the nuclear plants.

See also

  • Abandoned, and going nowhere: Japan's the Monju 'fast' nuclear reactor. Photo: Nuclear Fuel and Power Reactor Development Corporation (PNC) / IAEA Imagebank via Flickr (CC BY-SA).

    Japan abandons Monju fast reactor: the slow death of a nuclear dream

    Dr Jim Green
     | 6th October 2016
    'Fast breeder' reactors are promoted by nuclear enthusiasts as the clean, green energy technology of the future, writes Jim Green. But all the evidence tells us they are a catastrophic failure: complex, expensive, unreliable and accident-prone. Is Japan's decision to abandon its Monju reactor the latest nail in the coffin of a dead technology? Or the final stake through its rotten heart?
  • Offshore wind turbine under construction at Burbo Bank, North Sea. Photo: The Danish Wind Industry Association / Vindmølleindustrien via Flickr (CC BY-NC).

    Offshore wind powers ahead as prices drop 30% below nuclear

    Kieran Cooke
     | 19th July 2016
    The cost of offshore wind power in the North Sea is 30% lower than that of new nuclear, writes Kieran Cooke - helped along by low oil and steel prices, reduced maintenance and mass production. By 2030 the sector is expected to supply 7% of Europe's electricity.
  • Xioa Yan Kou Farm, China. Photo: Danish Wind Industry Association / Vindmølleindustrien via Flickr (CC BY-NC).

    From China to Europe, nuclear is losing the energy race to renewables

    Paul Dorfman
     | 10th November 2015
    The UK-China plan for new nuclear build in England defy the evolving reality of 21st century power networks, writes Paul Dorfman. In China itself, the nuclear dream is hitting construction problems and delays, while wind and solar blossom at ever falling cost. But the phenomenon is global. Despite some governments' nuclear obduracy, renewables are winning the race hands down.

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