All three remaining German nuclear power plants remain online. Chancellor Scholz decided on Monday and informed Ministers Habeck, Lindner and Lemke.
A letter from the Federal Chancellery documents Scholz’s decision, which is making use of his directive authority. Thus, in addition to the Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 nuclear power plants, the nuclear power plant in Emsland will also remain connected to the grid. They should be able to continue running until April 15, 2023 at the latest.
The Chancellor’s decision ends the conflict between Economics Minister Habeck (Greens) and Finance Minister Lindner that has been going on for weeks. The FDP boss had criticized Habeck’s decision to only want to continue running two nuclear power plants and blocked the corresponding proposal with his parliamentary group.
Lindner and Habeck were also unable to come to an agreement at a meeting of the traffic light leaders yesterday, Sunday, in the Chancellery. Scholz ended the discussion using his policy competence. Or, as he writes: “As Chancellor, I made the following decision in accordance with Paragraph 1 of the Federal Government’s Rules of Procedure.”
Finance Minister Lindner tweeted after the decision: “It is in the vital interest of our country and its economy that we retain all energy generation capacities this winter. The Federal Chancellor has now created clarity.”
So far, Scholz had not commented publicly on the dispute. “The chancellor is now concerned with reaching an agreement on this issue. It’s his turn,” Deputy Government Spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said on Monday in Berlin. Scholz is “very confident that this will succeed shortly”.