The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has warned of a blackout in winter if the nuclear phase-out is adhered to. “There is a risk of the power grid being completely overloaded in autumn and winter, as well as an insufficient supply of electricity,” Merz told the “Bild am Sonntag”.

“If this government continues like this and sticks to the nuclear phase-out for ideological reasons, we are threatened with a blackout at the beginning of next year.”

Merz demanded that new fuel rods be ordered as soon as possible for the continued operation of at least the three nuclear power plants that have not yet been shut down: “By August at the latest, we would have ensured that new fuel rods would have been ordered at least for the three nuclear power plants that are still running, and possibly also for the three which were shut down in the last year. First of all, a total of 20 million households would be reliably supplied with electricity. Why didn’t the chancellor call off the minister of economics when he simply said we didn’t have a power problem?”

In this context, Merz expects Chancellor Scholz to make a clear promise to the people of Germany: “The basic message to the population should be: As the government, we will ensure that nobody in this country goes hungry or cold. No matter how much the crisis worsens. But we will also have to accept losses in prosperity. And if we do it right, we can one day emerge stronger from the crisis. A secure energy supply now has priority. And that includes nuclear energy.”