German Nuclear Shutdown Planned

["Robert Yoss" <ryoss@MCW.EDU>]

German Nuclear Shutdown Planned

Associated Press

Last Updated: June 11, 2001 at 6:57:42 p.m.

BERLIN - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and leading energy companies formally

signed an agreement Monday to shut down Germany's 19 nuclear power plants,

making it the world's largest industrialized nation to willingly forgo the

technology.

Though it could take decades to complete, the plan underscores the divide

between Europe and the United States on environmental policy. President Bush

last month unveiled measures to promote the building of more nuclear plants,

and many now operating are expected to apply to extend their operating

license.

After the signing ceremony in Berlin, Schroeder said that while it was up to

every country to design its own energy policy, ``naturally we would hope

that many follow our example.''

The pact limits nuclear plants, which provide nearly a third of Germany's

electricity, to an average 32 years of operation. That would likely see the

most modern plants close around 2021 and see Germany join nations such as

Italy and Austria in abandoning nuclear power.

Still, some environmentalists say that timetable is far too long while

German conservatives argue that abandoning atomic power is a mistake. Power

company executives say they haven't given up hope that a future government

would scrap the plan.

The nuclear shutdown still must be approved by the Cabinet and parliament,

where Schroeder's Social Democrats hold the majority along with the

environmentalist Greens.

Eliminating nuclear power is a pet cause of the Greens, who for years backed

protests focused on halting nuclear waste transports, which the pact will

end by mid-2005.

Police deployed thousands of officers Monday to protect the latest shipment

from demonstrators while the environmentalist group Greenpeace placed

containers of contaminated soil from reprocessing plants in France and

England outside the headquarters of the Social Democrats and Greens.

About 30 anti-nuclear activists beat drums and erected a model nuclear

reactor that belched orange fumes during the signing ceremony at the new

chancellery in Berlin.

The leading opposition party, the conservative Christian Democrats, argued

that eliminating nuclear energy would force Germany to use dirtier power

sources. That could make it more difficult to curb emissions as outlined by

the landmark 1997 Kyoto agreement on greenhouse gases.

``Abandoning atomic energy is a historic failure,'' said Ulrich Mueller, a

Christian Democrat who is environment minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg state.

But Schroeder said the Kyoto agreement meant Germany also had the

responsibility to establish environmentally friendly power sources, a stance

it will take to a U.N. climate conference next month in the former German

capital Bonn.

``Germany truly will meet its responsibilities for climate protection,''

Schroeder pledged.

The U.S. administration opposes the Kyoto accord.

Monday's signing comes a full year after Schroeder hammered out a

preliminary phase-out plan with industry leaders. E.On, the last of the four

power companies involved to approve the deal, only did so Sunday.

But whether the German nuclear plan would survive a change in government

remains open. Some conservatives, who hope to oust Schroeder in

parliamentary elections next year, have said they will reverse the policy -

a move that industry would welcome.

E.On chairman Ulrich Hartmann, speaking after Schroeder at Monday's

ceremony, said the signing was ``no reason to celebrate for us,'' arguing

that the policy was misguided given limited energy resources and the need to

cut emissions of carbon dioxide.

``Nothing in life is irreversible,'' he insisted in an interview published

Monday in Die Welt newspaper, though adding that industry would ``keep to

the agreements with the government as long as it keeps to them.'' (PROFILE

(CO:E.ON AG; TS:EON; IG:ELC;) )





Bob Yoss

ryoss@mcw.edu





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