The German government has agreed to keep running the country's three remaining active nuclear power plants, which have a total capacity of around 4.2 GW, until 15 April 2023 in order to secure power supply for the upcoming winter. The German Chancellery has asked the Economy, Environment and Finance Ministries to prepare the legal framework needed to keep the country's nuclear power plants operational.
The three involved nuclear reactors are the 1.4 GW Isar 2 (located in Essenbach, Bavaria, and operated by E.ON), the 1.4 GW Neckarwestheim 2 (located in Neckarwestheim, Baden-Württemberg, and operated by EnBW) and the 1.4 GW Emsland (located in Lingen, Lower Saxony, and operated by KKW Lippe-Ems). They will continue to operate beyond the previously set phase-out deadline of 31 December 2022 and can contribute to around 6% of the country’s power generation.
In September 2022, the government had already decided to put Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 on stand-by beyond December 2022 in order to ensure a sufficient electricity supply in case of power shortages. At that time, the German Ministry of Economy nonetheless reiterated that this decision was a not a shift in policy and that the country still plans to exit nuclear energy by the end of 2022. This move is portrayed as a temporary measure which is implemented due to exceptional circumstances.
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