Dusseldorf A more than 60-year era in Germany ends on Saturday: The last three nuclear power plants Emsland, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 will be taken off the grid. Too early, say many in the Union and the FDP. Similar tones can be heard from the economy. And even within the population there is great resistance to the nuclear phase-out, if you look at the results of the latest opinion polls.
The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) warns of supply bottlenecks and rising energy prices. The energy industry insists on new gas-fired power plants. And CDU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn speaks of a “black day for climate protection”. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) does not want to come to terms with the nuclear phase-out and recently said that the last word on the matter has not yet been spoken.
But how justified are the concerns of the exit critics? Are blackouts really threatening in the coming winter? Do we have to reckon with rising electricity prices? Was the nuclear phase-out a mistake at that point?
The new episode of Handelsblatt Today deals with these questions. Host Anis Micijevic talks to Kathrin Witsch, head of the Handelsblatt energy team, about the pros and cons of the German nuclear phase-out.
Also: The Inflation Reduction Act has been causing tensions between the EU and the US for months. The accusation is as follows: Joe Biden’s climate law is peppered with protectionist regulations that put European companies at a disadvantage. The EU has now made a concrete proposal to calm the waves in the area of trade policy. You could describe it as a kind of green TTIP light. Handelsblatt reporter Moritz Koch, who is currently in Washington, explains what exactly is behind it.
More: What the end of nuclear power plants means for Germany.
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