When a green nuclear power opponent gets the nuclear power plant supervision

Lower Saxony's Greens did not fare particularly well in the state elections on October 9th. 14.5 percent were just about tolerable given the 18 to 20 percent that the party is currently getting nationwide. In Lower Saxony, too, the values ​​were still above the 20 percent limit in the summer. Measured against this rather moderate result, the party with its two top candidates Julia Willie Hamburg and Christian Meyer was richly rewarded this Tuesday.

In what was probably the shortest coalition negotiations in the history of the federal state - within just five days - the SPD and the Greens agreed to form a joint state government. The associated coalition agreement provides that the Greens may head four of the ten state ministries. In view of the fact that the SPD (33.4 percent) was more than twice as strong in the election, this is a very decent share of power in Lower Saxony. Especially since the party is allowed to occupy central houses with finance (Gerald Heere), culture (Hamburg), the department of agriculture (Miriam Staudte), which is important in the agricultural state of Lower Saxony, and the environment ministry (Meyer).

For example, in Lower Saxony and in the federal government, the Ministry of the Environment includes the topics of climate protection and energy - and thus also responsibility for nuclear supervision in the state of Lower Saxony. Meyer, the future head of department and staunch opponent of nuclear power, is therefore also responsible for the continued operation of the Emsland nuclear power plant, which he massively opposed during the election campaign. To put it bluntly: In Lower Saxony, the buck is responsible for the proper condition of the garden in the coming winter months.

A personality that could also affect the future cooperation of the traffic light coalition at federal level.

Shortly after the Lower Saxony state elections, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), against the will of the Green Federal Ministers, gave a positive decision on the question of the continued operation of the Emsland nuclear power plant. A word of power that had triggered considerable outrage, especially in the Lower Saxony state association of the Greens with its long-time spokesman Jürgen Trittin.

Meyer had also criticized the Federal Chancellor's decision to continue operating the nuclear power plants as "unnecessary and without any technical basis" and just a few days later announced "a thorough review of the Emsland nuclear power plant" via Twitter. The future state minister will be personally responsible for precisely these after taking office, which is planned for next Tuesday. The plant in Lingen, Lower Saxony, is expected to be shut down around the turn of the year to reorganize the fuel rods, which have already been largely used up.

The Emsland nuclear power plant has to be temporarily taken off the grid in winter. This resulted in a request from the Union to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. It must be reconfigured. After that, the output of the power plant would initially be significantly lower.

There will be a number of security reviews as part of this regrouping. According to the red-green coalition agreement, they should be carried out “through comprehensive state supervision based on the applicable law at a high level”. Meyer's predecessor, Olaf Lies (SPD), had estimated two to three weeks for these tests - although experience has shown that such a procedure can take a little longer depending on the respective test results and their evaluation by the supervisory authorities. In view of the final shutdown of the German nuclear power plants still on the grid scheduled for April 15, the remaining service life for the plant in Emsland could quickly shrink to a very manageable level.

Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD), who was not enthusiastic about Scholz's nuclear power plant decision anyway, would not be bothered by it for the foreseeable future. The head of government praised the coalition talks of the past five days on Tuesday as the most pleasant that he has experienced in the course of his career. In addition to climate protection, housing construction, but above all crisis management, should be the focus of the work of his new state government, announced Weil. A one billion euro emergency program is intended to help companies threatened by the energy crisis; the massive expansion of renewable energies is intended to make the country independent of gas and coal imports.

With Boris Pistorius (internal affairs) and Daniela Behrens (social affairs), two ministers remain in their posts in the SPD. The previous environment minister, Olaf Lies, will become the new economics minister. Falko Mohrs (science), Kathrin Wahlmann (justice) and Wiebke Osigus (regional and Europe) are new to the cabinet.

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