Germany shuts nuclear plants

Germany has committed to shutting down all of the country’s 17 nuclear reactors by 2022. Chancellor Angela Merkel made the ground-breaking decision to reverse the country’s nuclear policy after declaring […]

Germany has committed to shutting down all of the country’s 17 nuclear reactors by 2022.

Chancellor Angela Merkel made the ground-breaking decision to reverse the country’s nuclear policy after declaring less than a year ago that she wished to extend the lives of the plants.

The plans, which came after Japan’s Fukushima disaster, mean Germany will become the largest industrial nation to snub nuclear and will have to look towards other means to produce the 23% of energy its nuclear provides.

Although the move appears to be popular with the general population, critics are voicing concerns that Germany will suffer from the shortages, as they will have to either rely on power from more fossil fuel sources or on imported electricity from nuclear abroad.

Chancellor Merkel’s coalition has said that they intend to combat this by cutting electricity consumption by 10% and doubling renewable energy by 2020.

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