Germany, which has been aiming to shut down all nuclear power plants in Germany, will realize a "nuclear phase-out" on the 15th, when the last three nuclear power plants that were in operation will be shut down. In the future, issues include whether we can continue to provide a stable supply of electricity based on renewable energy.
In response to the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, the Merkel administration at the time announced a policy of "nuclear phase-out" and phased out 17 nuclear power plants in Germany.
The deadline for a "nuclear phase-out" was until the end of last year, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine and drastic cuts in natural gas supplies to Germany heightened concerns about the energy crisis, and the government postponed the deadline to shut down the last three nuclear power plants that were still in operation until the 3th of this month.
On the 15th, three reactors ceased operation for power generation, and citizens' groups calling for a "nuclear phase-out" rallied near the Neckar-Westheim Nuclear Power Plant in the south, and participants were delighted to hold banners that read, "Nuclear power generation has finally ended."
Participants commented, "I'm glad that the danger of nuclear power has disappeared," and "I'm glad that we were able to realize the 'nuclear phase-out' that we have been calling for for years."
However, while securing energy has become an issue in Germany, 15% of respondents in a poll this month opposed the idea of phasing out nuclear power, far exceeding the 3% who supported it, and the business community is also expressing concerns.
In the future, issues such as whether the government can continue to provide a stable supply of electricity based on renewable energy, which the government aims to further expand, and the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, so-called "nuclear waste," will be issues.