Söder counters Scholz: "Without nuclear power, Bavaria could face blackouts"
Created: 06/22/2022, 20:52
By: Dominik Göttler, Christian Deutschländer
Markus Söder now countered statements by Olaf Scholz about the lifetime of nuclear power plants.
(Archive image) © Sven Hoppe/dpa
Bavaria's Prime Minister has now countered statements by Olaf Scholz on nuclear energy.
In Söder's opinion, the nuclear power plants could run longer - if you want to.
In view of the current energy crisis, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is continuing to push for an extension of the service life of German nuclear power plants.
"Without nuclear energy, there would be a huge power shortage in addition to the gas emergency and there could be a risk of blackouts," he said in an interview with the
Munich newspaper Merkur
.
"We can't risk that."
Söder counters Scholz on the energy issue: "It's a political decision"
Söder emphasizes that you could get through the winter with the current fuel rods - and the majority of the industry is also willing to do that.
A TÜV Süd report commissioned by the Bavarian Ministry of the Environment shows that the Isar 2 nuclear power plant could generate 100 percent electricity by the end of the year - and then with the existing fuel rods for another six months a total of five terawatt hours.
“By then we would already have new fuel elements.
It is therefore a political decision and not a technical one.” Further fuel rods would now have to be ordered in Canada, for example.
But the federal government must create the conditions for this.
Söder accuses: Scholz' traffic light government leaves Bavaria alone
Söder believes that the south will be left alone by the traffic light government in the energy crisis - because the federal government is not making sure that the gas storage facility in Haidach, Austria, which is important for Bavaria, is filled up.
"The federal government only thinks of the north, not the south." The situation is more dangerous than many think.
"I'm really worried about our companies, jobs and warm apartments," said Söder in an interview.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had previously
expressed skepticism about continued operation in an interview with the
Münchner Merkur , citing experts.
However, Scholz also said that "no one would object" if it were technically "easily possible to extend the term by one or two years".
In the traffic light coalition in Berlin, there is strong sympathy among the FDP for an extension of the term, the majority of the SPD and Greens clearly reject this.
Among other things, concerns are articulated in both parties that new fuel rods are once again dependent on deliveries from Russia.
By Dominik Göttler and Christian Deutschländer
