Habeck wants to keep two nuclear power plants running until April

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck considers it necessary to operate the two southern German nuclear reactors Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 over the winter given the current situation. "As of today, I think it's necessary," said the Green politician on Tuesday evening in Berlin. He referred to the situation in France, where many nuclear power plants cannot run due to maintenance work.

The situation there continued to deteriorate in view of the winter. "Today I have to say that the data from France suggest that we will call up the reserve," said Habeck. "As the Minister responsible for energy security, I must therefore say: If this development is not reversed, we will leave Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim on the grid in the first quarter of 2023."

For technical reasons, the final decision for Isar 2 must be made in December at the latest, for Neckarwestheim this is also possible at the beginning of the year. The nuclear power plants should run until mid-April 2023 at the latest. The details of the longer terms were negotiated intensively with the operators, said Habeck. Agreed on key points that are the basis for legal changes that are to be decided at the end of October.

According to the key points, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 are to be transferred to an operational reserve after the end of their regular service life on December 31st. They are therefore ready to prevent an impending power grid bottleneck in southern Germany. In order to enable the reserve, the operators would “start everything necessary immediately”.

All applicable safety regulations would be observed, said Habeck. The necessary law is meanwhile being “quickly launched”. In addition, the situation in the German and European electricity system is being closely monitored. "Overall, Germany has a high level of security of supply in the electricity sector, but the situation must always be viewed in conjunction with its European neighbors."

Actually, as part of the nuclear phase-out, the last three nuclear power plants should be shut down at the end of the year. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, this should continue to apply to the Lingen reactor in Emsland. At the beginning of September, Habeck announced the plan for a so-called operational reserve for the two nuclear power plants in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.