downtoearth-subscribe

Dead end ahead

Nuclear power is a dirty word in Germany today. Public pressure has forced the German government to scrap its nuclear power programme. A phase-out plan has been decided by the government following which one nuclear power plant would be shut down each year. By 2020, Germany would become a zero nuclear state. Officials said that half of the total 19 operating plants at various locations would be decommissioned by 2010. As per the pact with the energy supply companies, a fixed quota of electricity to be produced by each operating plant has been determined. Recently, the Atomic Energy Act of 1959 was amended and passed by bundestrat, the upper house. The Green Party claims to be formulating an alternative plan to bridge the deficit in electricity supply arising out of the switching-off process.

Related Content