Nuclear energy phase-out in Germany - statistics & facts
Germany was to phase-out nuclear power by the end of 2022, after a widespread debate that lasted around 40 years. Accordingly, over 15 of Germany’s nuclear power units have been switched-off and decommissioned in the last 20 years. The remaining three nuclear power plants in the country – Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim 2 reactors – were shut down on Saturday, April 15, 2023, after a three-month delay due to the energy crisis that greatly impacted Germany in 2022. Although the contribution of nuclear power to Germany’s energy mix in 2022 was as small as six percent– down from almost 30 percent in the 2000s–, it was not without criticism that the country exited nuclear energy. Among the main concerns of the national and international opponents to this action were its environmental impact and the implications for the future of Germany’s power supply.
However, a few lignite-fired plants were temporarily reopened after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in open contradiction with Germany’s climate goal of having a carbon-neutral power grid by 2045. Germany is already among the largest absolute CO2 emitters in the European Union and does not plan to phase-out coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, before 2030. While this is exactly what the Renewable Energy Source Act aimed to prevent, the impression according to public opinion is that Germany has “chosen” coal over nuclear.
Germany’s energy policy
The nuclear exit is part of the energy transition policy (Energiewende) of the country and, according to the Renewable Energy Source Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) introduced in 2000, renewables are supposed to fill the gap left by nuclear power. The electricity production from clean energy sources was indeed heavily subsidized and it increased almost sevenfold between 2000 and 2022. Germany plans to double the share of renewable energy in its gross electricity consumption by 2030, to reach 80 percent.However, a few lignite-fired plants were temporarily reopened after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in open contradiction with Germany’s climate goal of having a carbon-neutral power grid by 2045. Germany is already among the largest absolute CO2 emitters in the European Union and does not plan to phase-out coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, before 2030. While this is exactly what the Renewable Energy Source Act aimed to prevent, the impression according to public opinion is that Germany has “chosen” coal over nuclear.
