Germany extends nuclear reactor lifetimes

摘要

The German government has decided to extend the runtimes of its fleet of nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years as a bridging technology until renewable energy sources are more developed. Older nuclear plants will be able to operate for a further eight years, while those built more recently have been given an extra 14 years. The agreement follows months of discussions on how Germany might meet national demand for electricity as nuclear power plant operating permits expire in accordance with a 2001 law brought in by the Social Democrat, Green coalition government. Under that law, nuclear energy production would have been phased out in Germany by 2021.