Minister Rajhe calls for a return to nuclear technology due to record-high electricity prices.

After a decade of strong opposition, voices coming from Berlin would have been unimaginable until recently: Germany's Minister of Economy, Katarina Rajhe, has called for an urgent reconsideration of nuclear policy, warning that relying solely on gas has left the largest European economy vulnerable to energy shocks

Speaking to the Financial Times on the occasion of the launch of the investment summit for the recovery of the German economy, Rajhe (also from the CDU party) was brutally honest: the decision of previous governments to shut down nuclear power plants left Germany in a situation where "there is no alternative" to gas for the base load of the grid.

„Izgubićemo uticaj ako ostanemo na tribinama“

„We will lose influence if we stay on the sidelines“

„We can decide that we do not care and remain dependent on a single energy source. Or we can say that we are once again interested in the technology,“ Rajhe said. She stressed that Germany, with its engineering expertise, must be present in international committees and ready to invest in European nuclear projects. „Who stands on the sidelines and only comments loses influence. You have to be on the ground if you want to play.“

Šokantna razlika u ceni: Nemačka vs. Francuska

Shocking price difference: Germany vs. France

Podaci su nemilosrdni prema nemačkoj industriji: Nemačke cene električne energije za maj su četiri puta više od cena u Francuskoj, koja se oslanja na svoju nuklearnu flotu; ekonomski instituti upozoravaju da će energetski šok zbrisati više od polovine očekivanog rasta za 2026. godinu. Procena rasta BDP-a pala je sa 1,3% na svega 0,6%; a od početka sukoba u Iranu, cene gasa u Evropi skočile su za preko 60%, što je drugi veliki šok u manje od pet godina.

Nova strategija ili ne?

New strategy or not?

Kancelar Fridrih Merc, koji je već ranije nazvao gašenje nuklearki „ogromnom greškom“, vodi politiku koja se značajno razlikuje od njegovih prethodnika (Šolca i Merkelove). Iako je povratak konvencionalnih elektrana koje su već u procesu razgradnje malo verovatan, Mercova vlada snažno podržava nove tehnologije, pa je tako nedavno snažno podržala istraživanja u oblasti fuzije a već se često tvrdi da bi Nemačka vlada bila otvorena za male modularne reaktore. Ali mi primećujemo da je jako lako oberučke prihvatiti i fuziju i male modularne reaktore jer je to prihvatanje nužno pomalo hipotetičko – obe tehnologije su veoma daleko pa je sada jako lako prihvatati ih.

But we note that Germany has indeed stopped opposing nuclear energy at the Brussels level and is creating administrative obstacles for those countries that show interest. That was a key gesture toward France, but it also freed other EU member states to be encouraged to de-taboo nuclear energy. 

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