German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel wants to amend the country’s nuclear energy phase-out, speeding up closure of old plants after an automatic shutdown at Vattenfall AB’s Kruemmel reactor near Hamburg on July 4.
Gabriel said the remaining operational lifespan of older reactors could be transferred to newer plants in an amendment, extending their life. Speaking on German ARD television today, Gabriel also called for the creation of a federal overseer to close gaps caused by state monitoring of the industry.
“We must pull these older nuclear plants from the grid. That means tightening up the legislation we have,” said Gabriel, a Social Democrat. Gabriel’s SPD in coalition with the Green Party passed legislation in 2002 that will phase out nuclear power by about 2021. Some 17 plants are still in operation.
The SPD’s current coalition partners, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, seek an extension of nuclear power beyond 2021. Vattenfall said in an e-mailed statement that the plant east of Hamburg automatically shut down at noon the same day, following a disruption in a transformer
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