Schroeder Delays Plant Closings

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Saturday May 1 10:32 AM ET 

Schroeder Delays Plant Closings

BERLIN (AP) - Overruling the environmentalist Green Party in his 
government, Germany's chancellor has promised nuclear industry 
and union leaders that he won't force the closure of any atomic 
power plants before 2002, a newsmagazine reported Saturday.  

Gerhard Schroeder's center-left government took power six months 
ago with a promise to reverse German support of the nuclear 
industry and begin phasing out the country's 19 plants, which 
supply about a third of Germany's electricity.  

The junior partner Greens have set a goal of closing the first three 
or four during the current legislative term, which runs through 2002.  

But Schroeder, who favors a slower, more business-friendly 
approach to Germany's nuclear exit, told plant operators and union 
leaders during a recent meeting that no plants would be closed 
during this legislative period, according to Der Spiegel 
newsmagazine.  

``I'm not crazy,'' the magazine quoted him as saying during the 
private meeting, referring to concerns about job losses or 
threatened legal action by industry against the government.  

A government spokesman Saturday denied any final decisions had 
been made. He said all such questions were part of the ongoing 
talks between government and industry leaders to reach a 
consensus on phasing out nuclear energy without compensation 
claims from utilities.  

Der Spiegel reported Schroeder had told coalition leaders two 
weeks ago that it could take 25 to 30 years before all 19 plants 
were closed.

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Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205

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