The German debate
Germany's 17 nuclear power plants, which provide 30 per cent of the country's electricity, were to be phased out by 2020 and gradually replaced with renewables following an accord, which the country's last Green-Social Democrat coalition government signed with the nuclear industry. But it seems that plans for the phase-out could be withdrawn by the present coalition that governs Germany: economy minister Michael Gloss has recently announced that nuclear is a necessary component of Germany's future energy mix. Quoting predictions of the evolution of oil prices, he said renewables would remain uncompetitive commercially. He argued that coal-fired power stations would replace nuclear as these are progressively closed down, thus actually increasing carbon emissions.
Environment minister Sigmar Gabriel, on the other hand, has called for the immediate closure of the country's oldest nuclear power plants. In particular, he called for the planned 2009 closure of the Brunsbuttel power station near Hamburg to be brought forward. The arguments of people like him have become even more pertinent after a recent failure of German-made components in neighbouring Sweden. These components are also used in Germany, and their failure evoked anti-nuclear protests in both countries in mid-July.
Germany has a strong renewables base, with 10 per cent of its electricity coming from clean energy sources. While it is a world leader in onshore wind, when it comes to offshore wind farms, Germany has some catching up to do with other European countries such as Denmark. Perhaps in an attempt to stand up to this challenge, the country is constructing a 54-MW offshore farm, Baltic 1, off the eastern Baltic coast.
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