Germany on Monday said it will keep two of its three remaining nuclear plants available for power production in case of a shortage in the coming months, in a policy U-turn that comes as the shut-off of Russian gas supplies sends Europe scrambling for energy sources.
The announcement follows the publication of a much-anticipated stress test that examined how Germany’s power grid will cope with a possible electricity squeeze due to the energy crisis Europe is facing.
Like other European countries, Germany is scrambling to ensure the lights stay on and homes stay warm this winter despite the reduction in natural gas flows from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Germany will keep the option of reactivating Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim north of Stuttgart, of 1,400 megawatts (MW) capacity each, as part of a reserve scheme recommended by power transmission grid operators (TSOs) that stress-tested electricity supply, the government said.
Operated by E.ON and EnBW respectively, Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 are due to close alongside the third, Emsland near the Dutch border and operated by RWE, by Dec. 31, 2022.
Now though, the two southern plants can be called upon until April 2023 to help with possible power shortages this winter, the government said.
Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Greens party that has long been opposed to nuclear power, said the combination of several factors – problems with France’s nuclear power plants, drought hampering hydropower generation in the Alps and Norway, and problems shipping coal across Europe due to low water levels – could strain the grid this winter.
"Because of all these risks, we can’t rely securely there being enough power plants available to stabilize the electricity network in the short term if there are grid shortages in our neighboring countries," he said.
Habeck said the risks of nuclear technology mandated holding on to the exit plan but restrictions in Russian gas deliveries justified the reserve measure.
That would free up gas for manufacturers and the heating of homes.
The reasons Habeck cited for possible power shortages were a combination of tight nuclear power capacity in France, which is connected to Germany within the European wholesale power market and drought that has curbed hydroelectric production and cooling water supplies to thermal power stations, as well as hampered coal barge deliveries to coal-to-power plants.
"We have a number of uncertain factors, and the summer has exacerbated this significantly with the drought," Habeck said, adding it was considered highly unlikely that there would be a power crisis as Germany has also resurrected some idled coal-fired power stations and will boost grid capacities shortly.
"The nuclear reserve is a targeted response," he said.
Habeck stressed that the two nuclear plants would not be equipped with fresh fuel elements.
"One shouldn’t play with nuclear power," Habeck said. "A blanket extension of the operating life can’t be justified in view of the safety conditions at the nuclear plants."
By the winter of 2023/24, Germany would have additional gas import capacities in the shape of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) to help it fare better overall, the government said.
The north of the country where Emsland is situated may be able to operate oil-fired electricity generation capacity in cases of tightness, it added.
The government has already announced numerous measures to import gas from other sources and reactivate mothballed coal and oil-fueled power plants, while urging citizens to conserve as much energy as possible.
But there were concerns that Germany’s power grid could be heavily strained if consumers switch to electric heaters in the winter and strong demand from neighboring countries means energy exports rise.
Germany’s opposition parties have called for the country’s nuclear plants to be kept online, with some lawmakers even suggesting shuttered ones be reopened and new reactors built.