The two ministers appear harmonious, although there is a violent rift behind the scenes.
(Photo: Hans Christian Plambeck/laif)
When Robert Habeck (Greens) and Christian Lindner (FDP) appear together in public, they spread an image of harmony. When the two ministers received the gas commission’s interim report on Monday morning, they grinned together like two schoolboys who have just received their certificates. But that cannot hide the fact that there is a lot of crunching between Habeck and Lindner.
On the very same day that the two stood side by side in harmony, there was a tremendous bang: Contrary to Habeck’s plans, the federal government did not give the green light for Habeck’s draft law on Monday, which would allow the two southern German power plants Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 to continue operating until spring should enable in 2023.
The reason: Lindner had submitted his veto against Habeck’s plans on Monday. From Lindner’s ministry it was said that the continued operation of just two power plants alone was not sufficient, and the third reactor, the Emsland nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony, also had to remain connected to the grid.
Habeck lost patience on Tuesday. Via “Spiegel” he spoke up: “If you want the nuclear power plants to be able to produce electricity after December 31, you have to clear the way for it now,” said the Vice Chancellor. Time is of the essence.
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His ministry had previously accused Lindner of foul play: There was “a clear understanding with the coalition partners” to get Habeck’s draft law through the cabinet on Monday, despite different perspectives.
>> Read here: Study – Longer nuclear power plant runtime could noticeably reduce the price of electricity
Nuclear power plants should guarantee stability in the electricity system
“This delay is a problem if you want Isar 2 to still produce electricity in 2023,” warned a spokeswoman for Habeck. She emphasized that the ministry wanted the southern German nuclear power plants to continue to run after the turn of the year, so that they could make a contribution to stability in the electricity system if necessary.
The necessary agreements have been made with the nuclear power plant operators. However, repairs would have to be made to the Isar 2 nuclear power plant in a timely manner, and the nuclear power plant operators would need clarity. The ministry continues to work for solutions.
The SPD is also increasing the pressure on Lindner to give in. “We don’t need any tugging now, but joint government action,” said deputy parliamentary group leader Verena Hubertz to the Handelsblatt. “The emergency reserve has been decided, and we would do well to stick to joint decisions.”
But Lindner will not be so easily persuaded. He is convinced that the continued operation of just two systems is not enough. At the very least, he wants to ensure that all three nuclear power plants that are currently connected to the grid remain in operation beyond the turn of the year, preferably even longer. “It’s not politics, it’s physics,” argues Lindner.
Germany needs every possible power plant capacity
He gets support from his party, for example from Michael Kruse, the energy policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag: “Minister Habeck must not continue to hinder the use of nuclear power plants to secure the power supply until 2024,” he told the Handelsblatt.
And Kruse is setting the bar even higher: “We need the three active nuclear power plants to remain online, and two power plants that went offline at the end of 2021 are to be reactivated,” said Kruse. In the current situation, Germany needs every possible power plant capacity. “The election campaign in Lower Saxony is over. The people in this country expect pragmatic decisions from traffic lights and not partisan games,” said Kruse.
In recent weeks there has been speculation that Habeck could give up his opposition to the continued operation of the Emsland nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony after the state elections. But the economics minister doesn’t want to know anything about that. He is sticking to his previous course.
Lindner, on the other hand, is a staunch advocate of longer nuclear power plant runtimes. However, this did not pay off in the state elections in Lower Saxony: the Liberals failed to clear the five percent hurdle.
Week-long argument about nuclear power plant running times
Habeck and Lindner have been arguing about the runtimes of the nuclear power plants for weeks. Lindner refers to the stress test presented by the four transmission system operators at the beginning of September.
They advocate keeping as many power plant capacities on the grid as possible in order to ensure the stability of the electricity grids in the coming winter. Habeck, however, interprets the results of the stress test in such a way that it is sufficient to have two of the three systems ready for emergencies.
In the energy industry, there is little understanding for the back and forth. The operators should quickly have clarity, a draft law passed by the cabinet would make things easier, it said. It is time for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to have a clarifying word with Habeck and Lindner, the industry said.
More: Ministry of Economics – nuclear power reserve is on the brink