Scholz' word of power: what the continued operation of the nuclear power plant brings - and where the Greens have drawn the red line

Created: 2022-10-19 09:22

By: Klaus Rimpel

Robert Habeck (left) and Olaf Scholz.

© IMAGO/Frederic Kern

Three instead of just two nuclear power plants will remain connected to the grid after December 31st.

After that, new fuel rods would be needed – but the Greens reject that.

Munich – After the word of power from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), three instead of just two nuclear power plants will remain connected to the grid after December 31st.

What this means for the energy supply:

Nuclear power plant extension: How much electricity does that bring?

The three nuclear power plants Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 that are still in operation currently supply around 30 terawatt hours of electricity per year and account for around five percent of German electricity production (15 percent in Bavaria).

The last remaining north German nuclear power plant, Emsland, which is the subject of the dispute between the FDP and the Greens, could still generate 0.5 terawatt hours of electricity by mid-April.

The total electricity consumption in Germany in 2021 was 508 terawatt hours.

Why shouldn't the three nuclear power plants remain connected to the grid beyond April?

Because that would require the purchase of new fuel rods.

The Greens categorically reject this because it would be a "fundamental step" for the extension of nuclear power in Germany.

In addition, new, expensive safety checks are due for continued operation in winter 2023/24.

What are fuel rods?

Nuclear fission, which can be used to generate energy, only works with uranium 235, which only makes up 0.7 percent of natural uranium ore.

In order to be able to use uranium in the nuclear power plant, it has to be "enriched" in centrifuges to at least five percent uranium 235.

Then this enriched uranium is pressed into pellet form and welded into metal tubes called fuel rods.

Where does Germany buy its fuel rods?

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At the French manufacturer Framatome and at the US-Swedish Westinghouse.

According to Euratom, in 2020 Europe still obtained 20.2 percent of the uranium for these fuel rods in Russia, and another 19.1 percent came from Russia's ally Kazakhstan.

In addition, the EU obtains the raw material mainly from Niger (20.3 percent), Canada (18.4 percent) and Australia (13.3 percent).

18 reactors in the EU (in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Finland and Slovakia) were 100 percent dependent on Russian uranium.

How quickly does a decision have to be made if the nuclear power plants are to run beyond April?

That should actually happen now, because according to the nuclear power plant operators, new fuel rods have a delivery time of up to 15 months.

The industry association for nuclear energy explained that if advance payments were made now, the delivery time could be reduced to six or seven months.

How long can fuel rods produce energy?

About three years, then they have to be in a cooling tank for five years before they are finally taken to interim storage in special containers.

There are still no repositories for this in Germany.

Klaus Rimpel