Söder goes on the offensive in the nuclear dispute: "The Chancellor is spreading nonsense"

The CSU boss is angry because Scholz refuses to continue operating the last three German nuclear power plants.

But what is the chancellor really up to?

A commentary by Georg Anastasiadis.

Munich - The Bavarian state elections are still a good year away, but seem to have already found their mega-topic: It's about the war in Ukraine - and how politicians are dealing with the looming energy emergency, which will cut deeply into people's lives , be it through drastically higher prices or the security of their jobs.

This applies in particular to Bavaria, whose rise to an industrial state was only possible thanks to lower energy prices.

The (shrill) tone has also been set since yesterday, by CSU Prime Minister Markus Söder: Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not have to defend himself every day against an attack of the caliber of the accusation that he is spreading “technical nonsense”.

Specifically, it is about a statement by Scholz in an interview with our newspaper that a temporary continued operation of the last three German nuclear reactors is technically practically impossible according to the judgment of “experts”.

This is also due to the lack of fuel rods.

Debate about the continued operation of nuclear power plants in Germany: Missing fuel rods?

Whether that's true - or whether the no to the continued operation of the nuclear power plant is just an argument put forward to protect the Greens - is now becoming the focus of the political debate.

Söder's argument that other countries in a comparable situation also managed to exit the exit is not easy to refute.

Ultimately, it is likely to be a question of political will.

The industry association for nuclear energy, which should know, confirmed yesterday that it believes that nuclear power plant operating times could be extended.

Politicians only have to decide quickly, otherwise time will run out.

If you read Scholz carefully, you will also find indications in the

interview that the chancellor himself is in fact already preparing for the continued operation of the reactors by signaling that he has no fundamental problem with an extension of the service life if it is technically feasible.

After all, Scholz is an SPD politician - and thus much closer to the little people who have been hit hard by the energy price explosion than the Greens, who want to put an end to nuclear power once and for all for ideological reasons.