BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The Bundestag's committee of inquiry into the nuclear phase-out has entered the home straight with a controversial hearing. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), who appeared as the penultimate witness before Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), emphasized in Berlin that the continued operation of the remaining nuclear power plants in Germany had been examined three years ago without ideological preconceptions and in an open-ended manner. "There were no thinking prohibitions." The only question was whether it would help security of supply and be feasible.
Habeck, for his part, accused committee chairman Stefan Heck (CDU) of not being able to back up his statements with files and of having summarized evidence incorrectly. "Where do you see a contradiction to my statements, not to your assumptions?" he asked Heck. Habeck also accused the previous CDU-led governments of leading Germany into a dangerous dependency on Russian gas.
Controversial policy
In March 2022, a joint review by the economics and environment ministries concluded that extending the remaining nuclear power plants' operating lives could only make a "very limited contribution to solving the problem, and at very high economic cost, with constitutional and safety risks".
The CDU and FDP accuse Habeck and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) of not having examined the continued operation of the nuclear power plants "with an open mind" and "without bias", but of having decided on ideological grounds. Like Habeck, Lemke had also rejected the accusations.
The word of command and its consequences
Habeck explained that as recently as spring 2022, the bosses of the three operators of the nuclear power plants that were still running at the time had said that it would only be possible to continue operating beyond the end of the year, and thus in winter, if they were shut down in the summer. The consequence would not have been additional electricity, however. The consequence would have been to use more gas to produce electricity in the summer. But that would have been risky because of the lack of Russian gas deliveries.
Habeck said that the possibility of continuing to operate the nuclear power plants was only one of several issues at the time, given the energy crisis. "The hut was on fire." He pointed, for example, to the purchase of gas and the construction of liquefied natural gas terminals on the German coast.
In the summer, the assessment of the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power plants changed. The situation on the energy markets has worsened. In addition, the operators of the nuclear power plants have gradually corrected their statements about potential electricity volumes, according to Habeck. Contrary to the information provided by the operators in March, additional electricity would be available if the plants were operated in stages. Habeck then proposed keeping two of the three reactors in reserve until mid-April 2023 and using them for electricity generation if necessary.
Traffic light dispute
The last three nuclear power plants in Germany ultimately ran a few months longer than originally planned – the nuclear phase-out was postponed from December 31, 2022 to April 15, 2023. Prior to that, there had been a power play by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the fall of 2022 after a dispute within the then traffic light coalition.
Regarding a meeting between Scholz, Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and himself a few days earlier, Habeck said that Lindner had said at the time that he would have to be forced to accept a decision that did not result in a long-term extension of the remaining German nuclear power plants' operating life.
The dispute in the fall of 2022 revolved around this: the Green Party wanted to keep the two southern German nuclear power plants, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2, in reserve until April 15 and to continue to use them for electricity generation if necessary. The third remaining nuclear power plant, Emsland, is scheduled to be shut down permanently on January 1, 2023. In view of the sharp rise in energy prices, the FDP has called for the continued operation of all three power plants until 2024 and, if necessary, the reactivation of nuclear power plants that have already been decommissioned.
The CDU and FDP see deception
Before the meeting began, Heck accused Habeck of never having conducted an open-ended review. "On the contrary: it was a large-scale deception." He said that in the ministries of economics and the environment, there had been repeated indications and technical assessments by speakers and heads of departments on the question of whether nuclear power plants should remain on the grid for longer. He said that when positive assessments reached the political level, they were modified to fit the political direction and ideology of Habeck.
FDP politician Frank Schäffler said it had become clear that the Greens had led the country "by the nose". They had repeatedly thrown a spanner in the works, he said with regard to the inspections on the continued operation of nuclear power plants.
40 witnesses in the committee
Numerous witnesses have already been questioned by the committee in recent weeks and months. According to Heck, a total of 40 witnesses will have been heard by the end of the hearings with Scholz and Habeck since they began in October 2024. He said that the fact that this had been possible despite the shortened legislative period was a "remarkable achievement". "We are glad that we have finished at all." A final report is also planned for the coming weeks – albeit in a form that differs from the regular procedure. The report, which is to include statements from all parliamentary groups, is to be submitted to the President of the Bundestag before the Bundestag election in February.