Because of the war in Ukraine, Bavaria is considering restarting the nuclear power plant in Gundremmingen, which was shut down at the turn of the year.

According to a preliminary report published on Friday, Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” that, in addition to a possible extension of the lifetime of the last Bavarian nuclear power plant, Isar 2, the Gundremmingen nuclear power plant was also part of the considerations.

Ultimately, however, the federal government and the operators would have to decide whether they want the nuclear power plants to be in operation for longer.

Block C in Gundremmingen, which was shut down at the end of December, is currently still in the so-called follow-up phase.

The deputy Bavarian Prime Minister was cautious about the statement by Bavaria's Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder that the continued operation of the nuclear power plants should be given priority over additional coal-fired power generation.

"I'm a bit more skeptical than Mr. Söder when it comes to nuclear before coal," said Aiwanger.

"We are experiencing a war on our doorstep, and a nuclear power plant also offers the potential for blackmail," he said.

“We already experienced Chernobyl and Fukushima in peacetime.

The downside of nuclear power is the issue of safety.”

Bavaria's Minister for the Environment, Thorsten Faithr (free voters), however, expressed doubts about the federal government's refusal to extend the lifetime of the existing nuclear power plants in Germany.

"I cannot understand statements that an extension of the term is irresponsible," he told the dpa news agency on Thursday.

He referred to a statement by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, according to which an extension of the service life "for safety reasons" was not responsible.

"The war in Ukraine changed everything," said Glauber.

Now the expansion of renewable energies must be pushed forward with all our might so that fewer raw materials have to be imported to Germany.

A temporary continued use of nuclear power is also conceivable.

“The decision to extend the term is made by the federal government.

The fact is: The preparations for the final phasing out of nuclear power in Bavaria are in full swing," said Glauber.

The federal government must position itself quickly.

"Even in the current crisis, the safety of people and the environment has top priority in the operation of Bavarian nuclear power plants.

There is no security discount until the last day.”