BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany has shut down three of its last six nuclear power plants as part of its renewable energy transition in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
The Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen C reactors, operated by the utilities E.ON and RWE, were shut down late Friday after three and a half decades of operation.
The last three nuclear power plants – Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim II – will be shut down by the end of 2022.
PreussenElektra, which operates the Brokdorf and Grohnde plants, said on Saturday the two plants were shut down shortly before midnight on Friday. RWE for its part indicated that the Gundremmingen C power plant had also ceased production on Friday evening.
The gradual abandonment of energy considered clean and cheap by some is a major step for Europe’s first economy as it faces ambitious climate targets and rising electricity prices.
The six nuclear power plants contributed around 12% of electricity production in Germany in 2021, according to preliminary figures from the BDEW. The share of renewable energy was nearly 41% in the country, with coal accounting for just under 28% and gas around 15%.
Germany wants renewable energies to cover 80% of electricity demand by 2030, by developing infrastructure linked to wind and solar energy.
The new government of Olaf Scholz, which plans to step up the fight against climate change, has maintained the exit from nuclear in its coalition agreement.
(Emma Thomasson report, French version Laetitia Volga)