Germany will keep two of its three remaining operating nuclear reactors (totalling 2.8 GW) on standby through the winter, beyond the end-2022 deadline on nuclear exit, in order to ensure a sufficient electricity supply in case of power shortages. This decision comes only days after Russia’s Gazprom announced the indefinite shut down of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that sends gas directly to Germany.
All three of Germany’s remaining reactors will effectively go offline by 31 December 2022, but the Isar 2 (1.4 GW) and Neckarwestheim 2 (1.4 GW) reactors will remain in reserve in case of an emergency until mid-April 2023. The reactors, located in Essenbach, Bavaria and Neckarwestheim, Baden-Württemberg, are operated by E.ON and EnBW respectively.
The German Ministry of Economy has 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.