Bühler told the “Bild” newspaper that a restart would be “not a question of years, but rather of a few months or weeks” – and above all a question of political will. “In our opinion, the three power plants are in a state of safety that would make it possible to connect them to the grid again.” The nuclear power plants are among the safest and technically best in the world.
The background to the debate is the throttling of gas supplies from Russia to Germany. Natural gas is mainly used for heating. But it also contributes around 10 percent to electricity production in Germany. If you were to rely on nuclear energy for longer, you could use more gas for heating.
There are currently three nuclear power plants still connected to the grid in Germany: Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg. According to current law, they must be switched off by December 31, 2022 at the latest. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to wait for the results of a second stress test on the security of the power supply before making any decisions, as a government spokeswoman said.
Airport chaos in Germany. The strike by Lufthansa ground staff in Frankfurt and Munich started on Wednesday morning. More than 1000 flights are canceled in the middle of the summer travel season. All important developments at the airports here in the new ticker.
Buyers of electric cars are to receive less support from the state in the future. According to information from the German Press Agency from government circles, the federal government agreed on new subsidy rules. The Association of the Automotive Industry criticized the step.
The Chinese government has told the US that it wants to build a tourist attraction in Washington. In the course of planning, however, the FBI found out that the building was to be used for espionage purposes.
