Merkel Joins German Atomic Forum For 50th Anniversary Meeting
Written by NucNet
Wednesday, 01 July 2009
German chancellor Angela Merkel was among dignitaries attending celebrations in Berlin today to mark the 50th anniversary of the German Atomic Forum (DAtF).
DAtF president Walter Hohlefelder renewed calls for the role of nuclear power to be “reassessed” by German lawmakers, stressing that nuclear should be part of a mix of energy sources to tackle climate change.
Legislation which came into force in Germany in 2002 limits operating lifetimes of German reactor units to about 32 years. The legislation was aimed at ensuring a gradual phase-out of the use of nuclear power in Germany.
Mrs Merkel said in January 2007 that she did not expect a review of the country’s nuclear phase-out law in the near future, although she was personally against the phase-out. Mrs Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union and its coalition partner the Christian Social Union, also disagree with the phase-out.
However, the third member of the federal coalition government led by Mrs Merkel, the Social Democratic Party, favours maintaining the phase-out law.
Germany’s next federal elections will be held in September 2009.
A survey published in August 2008 indicated that more than half of the German population is in favour of extending operating times of the country’s existing nuclear power plants beyond 2021 – an increase in support since a similar survey conducted five months’ earlier.
In 2008, gross electricity production from Germany’s 17 operational reactor units increased by nearly 6 per cent. The units generated a combined total of 148.8 terawatt hours of electricity compared to 2007.
