No real nuclear backtrack in Germany

The headlines were all about Germany’s decision to extend the life of its last three nuclear reactors into mid-April to meet winter energy shortages brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But what German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, actually did — and said — sounded quite a different note. “On April 15, it’s over for nuclear power plants in Germany,” Scholz told reporters. Far from a policy change on nuclear power, the temporary extension had been on the cards for some time. In fact, what Scholz overruled were attempts to keep the reactors running well into 2024. Scholz also said “there also won’t be any more fuel rods produced for German power plants,” meaning the remaining reactors may be forced to close sooner than April.