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...approves to keep them as a backup, just in case.
They were, on paper, completely decommissioned, and the permit to keep them as a reserve was extended for a few months. Since the gas supply is much safer this year, it is very unlikely that these coal plants will be fired up. But now it would be legal to do so.
Impressive. Not in a great way..
Id rather see renewables, nuclear runs a close second but if its a choice between Australian coal or Russian gas...
Under the old CDU government(s) 10 years ago, we decided to pivot away from nuclear. The plan then was to substitute with coal, then gas and long-term transition to wind. Gas was cut short in this equation and federal government is doing what they can to force renewables, but that is fairly hard to do over 4 years. Reintroducing nuclear short term is - pardon my french - horseshit. By the time the reactors would be planned and laws were (re)written accordingly we could already be CO2 neutral (or as close as we will get). Instead Europe should work together imo and reinforce the grid - spanish sun with scandinavian hydro, offshores in the Nord- and Ostsee as well as geothermal heating and we can stem this. Let there be a calm and dark day, it will not cover all of Europe. And seeing how many people now rant about especially the green party either being too slow or too fast on climate issues I have a stark fear that next term we will have Merz - a far-right conservative and in my humble opinion a damned populist.
Does that clarify closing existing reactors?
The decision to close the remaining reactors was made around a decade ago. It's simply not possible to flip a switch and turn them back on. There's no fuel, the reactors have not been maintained and the personnel to run these reactors or perform the maintenance is not here any more. The fuel also has to come from somewhere, and " somewhere" being mostly Russia.