Germany plans to focus on renewable energy in the future, shutting down three of its six nuclear power plants. The German government after the Fukushima reactor was destroyed in 2011 in a series of events called the “Fukushima 1 nuclear accident” following a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami, many of which were described as the biggest nuclear disaster in the last 25 years after Chernobyl. It also decided to increase the speed at which it stopped harnessing its nuclear energy.
According to Reuters, the Brookdorf, Grundt and Gundermingen nuclear power plants, which are operated by E.ON and RWE, after three decades of operation, were finally shut down on Friday (January 10th), according to Reuters.
The country’s other three nuclear power plants, Isar 2, Amsland and Nekarostheim, will also be shut down by the end of 2022.
The phasing out of nuclear energy, which some see as clean and cheap, is an irreparable step for Europe’s largest economic hub, which faces ambitious climate goals and rising electricity prices.
By 2030, Germany plans to achieve the goal of producing 80% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by developing wind and solar energy infrastructure. The new government, which intends to step up its efforts to protect the climate, also backed a phased shutdown of nuclear energy in its coalition agreement.
Statistics provided by the trade organization BDWE show that six nuclear power plants in 2021 will contribute to the production of about 12% of Germany’s electricity. Also, the share of renewable energy is about 41%, which is used to generate less than 28% of coal and about 15% of gas.
E.ON estimates the cost of destroying each plant at about $ 1.25 billion, and is expected to be completed by 2040.
